What happens if you have obstetric cholestasis?

Obstetric cholestasis is a disorder that affects your liver during pregnancy. This causes a build-up of bile acids in your body. The main symptom is itching of the skin but there is no skin rash. The symptoms get better when your baby has been born.

What are the symptoms of obstetric cholestasis?

What are the symptoms of cholestasis of pregnancy?

  • Nausea.
  • Dark urine.
  • Light-colored stool.
  • Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
  • Decreased appetite.
  • Pain in the upper right belly.
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)

What causes gestational cholestasis?

The hormones your body releases during pregnancy change the way the gallbladder works. This may cause bile to slow or stop flowing. Bile builds up in the liver and spills into the bloodstream.

What does cholestasis itch feel like?

Intense itching is the main symptom of cholestasis of pregnancy. There is no rash. Most women feel itchy on the palms of their hands or the soles of their feet, but some women feel itchy everywhere. The itching is often worse at night and may be so bothersome that you can’t sleep.

Does cholestasis go away on its own?

You can get back to normal when your bile starts to flow the right way. You may need to change your medicine, have surgery, or get treatment for another disease. If you’re pregnant, your cholestasis will resolve when your baby is born. Some causes of cholestasis may need long-term dietary and medical treatment.

How does cholestasis affect the liver and gallbladder?

Cholestasis. (See also Overview of the Liver and Gallbladder and Gallbladder and Biliary Tract .) With cholestasis, the flow of bile (the digestive fluid produced by the liver) is impaired at some point between the liver cells (which produce bile) and the duodenum (the first segment of the small intestine).

How is the GGT index related to cholestasis?

GGT is a very sensitive laboratory index, but not purely of cholestasis; when elevated in the context of cholestasis, however, this is associated with damage to the apical membranes of bile ducts and disruption of intercellular junctions because of high concentrations of biliary bile acids.

What are the signs and symptoms of cholestasis?

Other less common signs and symptoms of cholestasis of pregnancy may include: Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice) Nausea. Loss of appetite.

What is the subclassification of cholestasis in medical terms?

Cholestasis is often subclassified as intrahepatic (hepatocyte injury, bile canaliculi, or intrahepatic bile ducts) or extrahepatic (extrahepatic ducts, the common hepatic duct, or the common bile duct).