What should I do if my belly is itchy during pregnancy?

Itchy belly after pregnancy is a symptom that many people will easily encounter. The itchy belly of pregnant women may be caused by skin inflammation or pregnancy dermatitis caused during pregnancy. It is easy to have some rashes on the belly of pregnant women, and itching or redness and swelling may occur. This is a symptom caused by personal constitution and does not require special treatment.

What to do if your belly is itchy during pregnancy?

The most common conditions that cause itchy skin in pregnant women are:

1. Pregnancy skin disease: More than 15 % of pregnant women may encounter this skin disease. The whole body may itch, usually occurring during the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy. There are no changes on the skin other than itching, and no rashes or blisters appear. The cause of the disease is generally believed to be related to the increase in estrogen during pregnancy and has no effect on the fetus.

2. Pregnancy rash: About 2 % of pregnant women may suffer from this disease, which usually occurs between the 4th and 9th months of pregnancy. Small red rashes appear on the skin, most often on the extremities, and look like insect bites. Some pregnant women think that the problem is caused by lice or fleas on their pets, but in fact it is caused by the pregnancy itself and has no effect on the fetus.

3. Toxic skin rash during pregnancy: The prevalence rate is about 1%, mostly occurring in short and obese pregnant women, and most often occurs when stretch marks appear. It is currently believed that it may be related to hormonal imbalance. The comforting thing is that this skin itching will not harm the fetus.

4. Papular dermatitis of pregnancy: The incidence rate is very low and the disease may occur in any part of the body. When the disease occurs, rashes will appear on the skin all over the body. The cause of this disease is still unclear, but it may cause miscarriage or stillbirth, so you must be especially careful.

Treatment

Drug relief

In addition, you can also try non-drug methods to prevent or reduce mild skin itching:

Avoid sweating and wipe off sweat as soon as possible.

Wear loose and comfortable clothes, and try to wear cotton clothes that absorb sweat.

Some people like to scald the affected area with hot water. This practice is not only unhelpful, but may also aggravate the condition and should be prohibited.

Try to avoid using chemicals such as disinfectants or soaps that can irritate or dry out the skin.

Do not scratch the itchiness vigorously with your fingernails as this may scratch the skin and cause infection.

For the itchy belly caused by cholestasis, counting the fetal movements can prevent cholestasis. Learning to count fetal movements correctly can help you detect abnormal fetal movements and seek medical attention immediately when the fetus suffers from intrauterine hypoxia. In the absence of any treatment, the itching symptoms caused by cholestasis of pregnancy usually continue until delivery, so if the itching persists for more than 3 days and still does not disappear, you must go to the hospital for examination and diagnosis.