Introduction To Hives And Pregnancy

Hives and pregnancy is a common concern among women who are expecting or planning to get pregnant. Hives are usually an allergic response that develops as raised, red or pale colored wheals on the skin. The skin condition often results in intolerable itching. Hives develop as clustered or gathered bumps that at times alter in location, size and shape on the body. They generally develop on the arms, back and legs.

Having hives during pregnancy is neither detrimental to the mother’s health nor to the baby in the womb. However, the involved itching can be very frustrating to the mother. Studies have indicated that in 99 percent of pregnancy cases, women do not develop hives at all. It is only occasionally that hives and pregnancy go hand in hand. Usually, women deal with intolerable itching on the skin during pregnancy, particularly, on the abdomen, breasts, back of legs, and so on. This is due to the skin stretching to cater to the developing baby inside. Also, the rush of hormones that occur in pregnancy may encourage dryness to the skin and result in itching.

A skin condition almost the same as hives, known as pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy is found to develop among pregnant women. It is usually noticed in the last trimester. Hives and pregnancy generally do not have a trigger. The precise cause of this condition is not clear but it is believed that the stretching of the skin during pregnancy is a considerable factor.