Why does my body itch after pregnancy?

Many pregnant women are often in a state of anxiety after pregnancy, and there are some different changes, such as frequent itchy skin. This is because of emotional fluctuations during pregnancy, dry skin, and anxious mood will cause many pregnant women to experience body itching. At this time, it is very important to pay attention to proper relief work and maintain personal hygiene.

Symptom relief methods

1. Mental stress and emotional excitement will aggravate itching, so pregnant women should first reduce their mental burden and avoid irritability and anxiety.

2. Avoid scratching to relieve itching. Because of constant scratching, the skin often turns red and scratches appear, causing the epidermis to fall off and blood scabs to form. Over time, this will lead to thickening of the skin and darkening of pigmentation, which will in turn aggravate the itching and may even cause purulent infection.

3. Change your underwear frequently.

4. When bathing, avoid using water that is too hot or scrubbing vigorously with alkaline soap, as this will aggravate the itching.

5. Prevent stimulation from food factors, such as eating less spicy foods such as chili peppers, ginger, raw garlic, etc. Seafood should be consumed in moderation as it can aggravate skin itching.

6. Wear pure cotton clothes to avoid friction between chemical fiber fabrics and skin.

7. Drug treatment. Pregnant women need to take medication under the guidance of a doctor. For local itching, menthol, camphor cream, camphor tincture, or camphor powder can be applied externally. If necessary, hormonal ointments with small side effects, such as Elocon, can be used for a short period of time. For systemic itching, you can take sedatives or desensitizers for a short period of time, such as oral chlorpheniramine tablets, 4 mg 3 times a day; sedative tablets, 1 mg 2-3 times a day, etc. You can also take B vitamins and vitamin C orally at the same time. Alternatively, calcium gluconate can be taken orally or intravenously.

Polymorphic pregnancy syndrome

Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of

PUPPP) occurs during pregnancy and may be caused by the mother's immune response to the fetus. Once it occurs, it will last throughout the pregnancy. If it is not treated, expectant mothers will often suffer from severe sleep problems due to itching.

In addition to affecting the lives of expectant mothers, since these skin diseases are mostly benign, they will not affect the health of the fetus and the mother herself. Symptoms similar to urticaria or irregular papules may appear and feel very itchy. Usually, the symptoms will gradually disappear one week after delivery.

It often occurs around the belly and then spreads to other parts of the body such as the thighs, hands and feet. It occurs most often in the late stages of pregnancy, and in the first pregnancy. It is less likely to occur after the second pregnancy. It is also more likely to occur in pregnant women with multiple births or who gain weight rapidly during pregnancy. If you feel very uncomfortable, you can seek medical treatment and use oral antihistamines or topical steroid ointments to relieve symptoms. This type of medicine is mostly classified as Class B, so there is no problem with safety.

Pruritus during pregnancy

The cause of prurigo during pregnancy (Prurigo gestationis) is still unknown. It may be related to factors such as hormonal changes and external irritants during pregnancy. It has no obvious effect on the fetus and mother. Red or light pink papules will appear and the patient will feel itchy. They will gradually heal after delivery, but they are likely to leave pigmentation marks. The cause may be related to hormone secretion during pregnancy or dry skin and external stimulation. It often occurs on the proximal extensor side of the limbs, including the thigh or arm. The disease is most common in the middle and late stages of pregnancy (approximately between 4-9 months of pregnancy). Mainly use external steroid ointment.