Puppps

When I was pregnant with my son I had it. It was horrible - b/c it is sooo itchy. My Dr. told me to use Aveeno Cortizone. It relieved the intense itching, but I would just constantly rub more cortizone on it. (mine was all over my belly.....) good luck!!

Oh yeah, she can take oatmeal baths too.

I also had pupps with my pregnancy. It was mild during the pregnancy, but after I delivered it got worse. I went to 2 dermatologists to get treatment. The only thing that worked as a very high dose of prednisone. Tell you daughter to hang in there, there is not much she can do while she is still pregnant. But, as soon as she delivers if she is still having problems, tell her to get treatment immediatly.

If the doctor didn't diagnose it, it may not be PUPPS. Even if they did it may not be. If she is using a moisturizing cream to help with stretch marks she may have become allergic to it. This happened to me and a doctor diagnosed it as PUPPS. She may be able to switch creams and be fine, or she may develop an allergy to that one. I found an ice pack helped with the itching with the rash I developed with my first pregnancy. I've stayed away from the creams this pregnancy and have been fine.

I had this with my last pregnancy & used cocoa butter to soothe the itching which worked pretty well. I also used benadryl at night to help get some sleep. Mine went away shortly after delivery. I would check with the OB & also maybe family doc before doing a steroid, if they are used too long they can damage your skin.

Mine went away after delivery. It was safer, in my opinion, than the steroid creams. I did not find info at the time on the natural products that you mentioned and I would not hesitate to use flax seed oil or acidophilus but I'm not familiar with dandelion root and would have to research it further...and of course I would not do anything without consulting my OB first...

I've already worried about getting this condition again with this pregnancy. I do remember the discomfort and feeling it lighten up a lot after giving birth and I believe it was gone by the time I went home from the hospital or within a week.

I had pupps with my first son, developed it the last month i was pregnant. There was this cream the dr. told me to use. It is OTC and is called SARNA, it is a non steroid creme so you can use while preg. It has menthol in it so it is not the most attractive smelling, but it really works. It really helps with the itchiness of the rash, not to take it away, it is very cool & refreshing. You can also use it several times a day. It will more than likely not go away until after the baby is born, mine lasted about 2 weeks afterwards. I also was told to use Aveno body wash to not irritate the skin with soap with perfumes and such.

Tell her not to worry, I didn't get that with my 2nd baby (thank GOD). So it doesn't happen every pregnancy.

I had it with my first at the end of my pregnancy. It was awful--it covered my whole body except for my neck and head. I even had hives between my fingers and toes and rash on the palms of my hands and feet. The rash was so prevelant it started to run together. Needless to say I thought I would be scarred for life, but it disappeared about 2 weeks after I gave birth (it happened right before I was finally induced) and I was told that nothing would get rid of it, but time (2 weeks). I used a Bendaryl gel to help with the itching.

Hopefully hers isn't that bad, and I suppose it doesn't hurt to try different things to help it. Good luck--it's hormonally-induced and will go away when the hormones are balanced again.

J.

V.,

I don't know anything but what I have read on this site. Look it up in the requests and responces or somewhere on this site. There were a lot of really informative responses on this subject.

I feel for her, because from what I understand- it is MISERABLE!!!!

I'll be praying for her- and I hope you enjoy that baby in a few short weeks!! (LONG weeks for your suffering daughter!)

God Bless,
A.

Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), known in United Kingdom as polymorphic eruption of pregnancy (PEP),[1] is a chronic hives-like rash that strikes some women during pregnancy. Although extremely annoying for its sufferers (because of the itch), it presents no long-term risk for either the mother or unborn child. PUPPP frequently begins on the stomach and spreads to the legs, feet, arms, chest, and neck.[2]

Although affecting about one in two hundred pregnancies, the condition was only formally identified and described in 1979.[3]

PUPPP is also known as Toxemic rash of pregnancy (not to be confused with "Toxemia of pregnancy" which is an alternative term for Pre-eclampsia), and Toxic erythema of pregnancy.

Etiology
The cause of the condition is unknown,[1] but the distension of the skin is thought to play a role as this condition occurs mostly in first pregnancies (primigravida), in the third trimester and is more likely with multiple pregnancies (more so with triplets than twins or than singletons).[4][5]

Other than additional associations with hypertension and induction of labour, there are no observed difference in the outcome of the pregnancy for mothers or babies.[6]

Appearance
The appearance of the condition changes over time.[7] It starts with pruritic (itchy) urticarial (wheals) papules (small, solid elevations of the skin) in 98% of cases. However over half develop multiple forms (polymorphic) with erythema (redness), vesicles (small blisters), and targetoid and eczematous (eczema-like) lesions. The two sets of appearances gives rise therefore to both the American term of 'Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy' and the British description of 'Polymorphic eruption of pregnancy'.

Papules and plaques usually start appearing on the abdomen (although not on the umbilicus/bellybutton/tummybutton itself) and often spreads to the legs, chest, underarms, etc. The face is also spared and does not seem ever to become affected.

Skin distension (stretching) is a common factor in PUPPP, which is more common in mothers with large fundal measurements and/or those who are carrying large babies, twins, and triplets. The papules and plaques often first appear within stretch marks.

Certain studies reveal that this condition is more frequent in women carrying boys, although no formal research has been conducted. Statistics cite that 70% percent of PUPPP sufferers deliver boys.

Treatment
Treatment of mild cases during pregnancy consists mainly of the application of topical moisturising creams or aqueous/emollient ointments. Class I or II corticosteroid creams and ointments are used in more aggressive cases, and oral (systemic) corticosteroids can be used to treat very severe cases—although the benefits of a pregnant woman's ingesting high-potency corticosteroids must be weighed carefully against possible (and mostly unknown) risks to the developing fetus or fetuses. Rarely, in unusually persistent and distressing cases, some women have had their labor induced as soon as they are considered to be at term (37 weeks)[8].

Antihistamine tablets may be prescribed to provide relief from the itch, although they are generally considered much less effective than corticosteroid treatments[9] and may act as little more than a sleep aid.

In the majority of cases, PUPPP resolves spontaneously within a week of delivery. However, a few women continue to experience symptoms long into the postpartum period.

Hello,

I feel your daughters pain. I am 34 weeks pregnant with my third child and have had the puppps rash with all 3 pregnancies. My first pregnancy I had know idea of any natural treatments for this, so my OB wrote me scripts for steriods, creams, and told me to do the OTC cortizone creams and oatmeal baths. With all the money and time I spent and none of it helped, so she finally induced me. With my 2nd pregnancy I was a little more proactive and researched for hours online. I ended up trying both dandelion root 550mg and Flax Seed Oil 500mg. You can buy both a GNC. I started taking I capsule of both 3 times a day until the itching was gone then just lowered the dose to 1 capsule of both 2 times a day. It worked for me and I also only used hypoallergnic unscented lotion and soap, so I didn't irritate my skin. I hope this helps, if you need any other information just contact me back.

S.

I had PUPPPS during my 1st pregnancy.

First question... how does she KNOW it's PUPPPS? There are several 'pregnancy rashes'. Most doctors look at it, say PUPPPS and turn the poor women towards the door. PUPPPS will NOT be cured or helped by OTC creams, or even prescription creams. The only thing that works is a daily dose of predizone. It's a very small amount and totally safe for mom and baby. After all, it's the stuff they give to moms who are in danger of preterm delivery to help speed up the baby's development (especially lungs).

The only real way to diagnose PUPPPS is to have a biopsy(sp) of the rash taken (usually by a dermatologist) and wait a few days for the results. Once it's determined that's it, go with the predizone and it'll clear up immediately. It doesn't cure it (no cure except for birth) but it will make the symptoms (itchy red rash) go away. If you stop the medicine for a day or 2, the suppressed symtoms will come back quickly.

I tried EVERYTHING - oatmeal baths, every lotion and cream (both OTC and prescription) known to mankind, dandelion root, flax seed oil, etc and nothing helped at all. I had it neck down - every inch of my body except palms and head covered - for 6 weeks. Nothing gave even a few minutes of relief except the predizone... the itchiness went away within 2 hours of first dose and rash completely gone the next day.

Treatment of PUPPP
The treatment of PUPPP is symptomatic. High strength steroid creams or ointments, such as clobetasol (Temovate) or betamethasone (Diplrolene), used up to 5 to 6 times a day usually relieve the itching and prevent the spread of the rash. Once the rash is under control, changing to a lower strength steroid used less frequently is advisable. For severe cases, daily oral steroids may be necessary to control itching. Oral antihistamines such as atarax, benadryl, and zyrtec, are generally less effective for itching than steroids, but may be useful at night to help with sleep.