Pregnancy is undoubtedly one of the periods of greatest change in a woman’s life, both emotionally and physically1. While you are undergoing a storm of hormones that cause various alterations, including to your emotional state, these same hormones can lead you to develop certain conditions or allergies that you didn’t know before.
This is the case with pruritic urticarial papules, a type of condition specific to pregnancy that can cause many women to worry. But what are the real dangers of this condition? And what are the best ways to treat it? Does it affect the baby in any way?
It is known to be a type of dermatosis, in other words, a type of skin disease that is mainly characterized by certain allergic manifestations such as redness, blisters, and inflammation of the skin.
Despite all the discomfort, pruritic urticarial papules are benign and do not cause any serious harm to the woman or the baby. However, this does not mean that women should skip treatment, as indirect effects can end up interfering with her life during the illness. We will talk about all these aspects in the sections below.
Causes of Pruritic Urticarial Papules
As we mentioned at the beginning of the text, pregnancy is a period in which your body receives a very large amount of hormones in a short period of time. Inevitably, this leads to some bodily reactions, one of which is the development of pruritic urticarial papules2.
Some studies indicate that sudden growth of the belly is one of the causative factors of the condition, making twin pregnancies or triplet pregnancies more likely to develop pruritic urticarial papules.
This does not mean that every woman who becomes pregnant will develop the condition – it is just something common and it does not directly affect the pregnancy, meaning it does not harm the baby.
Even though the baby is not affected by the disease, it causes discomfort, itching, and even wounds on the woman’s skin, which can be quite unpleasant, especially when considering all the other symptoms of pregnancy. Therefore, proper treatment should be started as soon as possible.
How Does the Disease Manifest?
Pruritic urticarial papules are lesions that usually appear as reddish patches on the area of abdominal stretch marks and spread toward the region near the woman’s navel.
The disease tends to worsen and spread across the entire belly and even to the buttocks and areas near the thighs. It is a fairly common condition, affecting one in every 160 pregnant women on average and more frequently occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Of the recorded cases, about 73% occur in the first pregnancy, which supports the fact that the disease is caused by the body’s lack of preparation for so many changes. It is not common for a woman who had this condition during her first pregnancy to develop it again in subsequent pregnancies.
How Is the Diagnosis Made?
The diagnosis is carried out by a dermatologist, who through observation may request a series of tests from the affected woman to rule out other diseases. After confirmation, the physician will prescribe treatment tailored to each case according to the progression of the disease in the woman’s body.
Treatment For Urticarial Papules
Treatment is primarily aimed at relieving the itching symptoms, which intensely bother women, disrupting restful sleep and causing daily discomfort.
After alleviating these symptoms, the goal is to eventually eliminate all pruritic urticarial papules. Emollients and moisturizers are recommended for this treatment, but the use of corticosteroids may also be considered, depending on the severity of the case3.
The treatment usually lasts between 4 and 6 weeks and the disease is not generally resistant nor does it tend to reappear in other pregnancies, as mentioned earlier.
Do I Need To Be Concerned?
Lastly, we need to consider the psychological state of a woman with a disease. Just as each body reacts differently, each mind also works at its own pace. This means that, while some women remain calm upon diagnosis, others may become extremely worried, both about their bodies and the baby’s health, which can be a problem.
The best advice in these cases is to talk to a doctor who can reassure you and help you understand the real severity of the condition. That way, a woman can remain calm and proceed with treatment more peacefully.
It is not always easy to face situations where it’s necessary to treat an illness during pregnancy, but know that this is quite common, not only regarding skin diseases, but various other types as well.
The important thing is to remain calm, understand how treatment is performed, and always prioritize your baby’s health, and of course, your own health as well. Unexpected events happen all the time in our lives, but we must be prepared for them, especially during such delicate phases as pregnancy.
See Also: Food Allergies – Signs and Treatment
Photo: Heykerriann
