Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2009 May 7;15(17):2049-66.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.2049.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Victoria Geenes, Catherine Williamson
Review

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Victoria Geenes et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a pregnancy-specific liver disorder characterized by maternal pruritus in the third trimester, raised serum bile acids and increased rates of adverse fetal outcomes. The etiology of ICP is complex and not fully understood, but it is likely to result from the cholestatic effects of reproductive hormones and their metabolites in genetically susceptible women. Equally unclear are the mechanisms by which the fetal complications occur. This article reviews the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, etiology and management of ICP.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphs showing the incidence of meconium staining of the amniotic fluid (A) and preterm labour (B) in studies of the relationship between the maternal serum bile acid level and adverse fetal outcomes[–49]. The total maternal serum bile acid level was used in all studies except Laatikainen et al[47] (represented by the white bar), where cholic acid only was used (normal range 40 μmol/L) by the authors. One study[25] used fasting maternal bile acids and compared fetal outcomes with the single highest bile acid reading available. The other studies did not specify whether the mothers were fasted. One study[48] compared fetal outcomes to the serum bile acid level from the week before delivery, and the other studies did not specify which serum bile acid level was used.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Graph showing the timing of IUD associated with ICP[–58]. The arrow represents six additional cases of IUD from two series with no active management reported as a range of gestational ages at the time of fetal death[4546].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Svanborg A. A study of recurrent jaundice in pregnancy. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1954;33:434–444. - PubMed
    1. Thorling L. Jaundice in pregnancy; a clinical study. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1955;302:1–123. - PubMed
    1. Fisk NM, Bye WB, Storey GN. Maternal features of obstetric cholestasis: 20 years experience at King George V Hospital. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 1988;28:172–176. - PubMed
    1. Johnston WG, Baskett TF. Obstetric cholestasis. A 14 year review. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1979;133:299–301. - PubMed
    1. Kater RM, Mistilis SP. Obstetric cholestasis and pruritus of pregnancy. Med J Aust. 1967;1:638–640. - PubMed