ICP Care Team MemberPh.D. Maria Cecilia Estiú University of Salamanca (Spain) Doctor in Pharmacology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology Laureate Ph.D. from the University of Salamanca (Spain) for her research on Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy Master in...
ICP Care Team MemberMy name is Kara and I am the mom of two boys. Prior to my first pregnancy, I had never heard of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP). At 17 weeks, I started itching all over my body and at 18 weeks was diagnosed with severe cholestasis. I...
ICP Care Team MemberMy name is Pamela Durden. I am from the Atlanta, GA suburbs, but currently reside in the DC Metro area. I am a military wife and mother of 1 toddler girl. In 2021, my husband and I became pregnant with our first child. My pregnancy was smooth and...
Today February 28, 2023 is Rare Disease Day! A Disease is RARE when it affects fewer than 1 in 2,000. In the USA 1 to 2 pregnancies in 1,000 is affected by Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy. Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) is a family of liver...
ICP Care Team MemberMy name is Cheyenne Terry and I am the Texas ambassador for ICP Care. I am a wife and mother of 4, with my 5th due in March of 2023. In 2019, while pregnant with my son, I began experiencing severe itching in my hands, feet, legs, and belly late...
At around eight months, I started developing itchy skin all over my body. I did not think much about it as I thought it was due to dry skin or my skin stretching due to pregnancy.
I first developed intense itching on my hands and feet five days after testing positive for COVID. I contacted my midwife and she sent in orders for blood work, which came back elevated (20.7) for bile acids, and in a normal range for liver enzymes. I was diagnosed...
As a mother who has suffered loss during my second pregnancy, I have experienced firsthand the inexplicable pain and grief a woman goes through. On July 9, 2022, I suffered a miscarriage during my first trimester.
ICP Care Team MemberI am a very proud wife and mom of two beautiful boys. One son I hold in my arms and the other in my heart. My journey with Intrahepatic of Pregnancy (ICP) has been a complex and traumatic one, however the love I have for my sons have given me the...
ICP Care Team MemberHi, I’m Hannah Jew and I’m excited to be the Ohio ICP Care Ambassador. I experienced Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) during my second pregnancy in 2020. At around 23 weeks, my back started itching and after googling my symptoms, I...
ICP Care Team MemberI’m Kirsten, the Northern California ambassador for ICP Care, and mom to one itchy baby girl - Harper. I found out I had intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy when I was 31 weeks pregnant. Four days after testing positive for COVID, my hands and...
ICP Care Team MemberMy name is Kathleen Adkisson. I am a Virginia Ambassador for ICP Care. My journey began as I began experiencing symptoms of itching on my belly during my second trimester of my first pregnancy. When I complained of how uncomfortable I was, many...
ICP Care Team MemberMy name is Meaghan Steele Moore and I’m a new mom to a little boy named Grayson living in beautiful British Columbia. I was diagnosed with ICP towards the end of my second trimester after being up night after night with severe itching on my hands...
It had been a difficult pregnancy - with Hyperemesis Gravidarum plaguing me in the first trimester to dealing with Intraheptic Cholestatis of Pregnancy. My ICP journey began in my third trimester, itching from all parts of my body that left my partner and I confused,...
I started experiencing itching at 30 weeks with my second pregnancy. At the time I experienced the symptoms, I also was waiting back for results for gestational diabetes. From doing an online search, I saw that Cholestasis of Pregnancy may be a possible cause of the...
Author: Sara-Jayne CarceranoThe first Wednesday of May is recognized as World Maternal Mental Health Day. This year join with others around the world on May 4th to spread awareness of Maternal Mental Health. Likewise, Maternal Mental Health week will be recognized...
My husband and I have a bustling household with our three kids (all ICP pregnancies) Lillian, Gemma, and Iver. It was a long journey of starting a family as we struggled getting pregnant and having miscarriages before having my rainbow baby, Lillian, in June 2016....
The nurse practitioners casual tone shifted and she implored me to alert her if this happened again or did not improve. I told her that it really had not improved much but was manageable during the day. At this time, despite, nine years of education and 2 years of residency in health care I had never heard of ICP and had no idea that my itchy hands could be more than an allergy.
I had a pretty normal pregnancy, up until about 21 weeks, when one morning I woke up with an unbearable itch all over my body. I made an appointment with my doctor, the next day he did labs
on my liver panel and bile acids.
My name is Hannah and I live in Columbus, Ohio. My back started itching when I was about 20 weeks pregnant with my second kiddo, a boy we’d name Asher, in October 2020. A whole lot of intuition and some quick googling led me to guess ICP and I quickly had my levels...
It’s the burning question everyone with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy wants the answer to: can my ICP cause lasting harm to me or my baby after my pregnancy is over? It’s unsatisfying to know we don’t have great answers. The studies so far have been few and often conflicting. We do have some answers, though, and it’s mostly good news.
ICP Care Team MemberI am thrilled to be joining the ICP care team! I am an ICP mom and clinical pharmacist but, despite my health care background, I first learned about ICP, like many of you, in my OBGYN’s office after I had presented with itching on my hands and...
ICP Care Team MemberI am the mother of two beautiful baby boys. I am also a registered nurse working specifically in gynecology and oncology. Prior to being diagnosed with ICP during my first pregnancy, I had never heard of ICP before. My hope is to help raise...
ICP Care AmbassadorMy name is Lindsay Ann, I am an Illinois Ambassador for ICP Care. I've had two babies with ICP - my second was very ill by the time I had her at nearly 39 weeks. She had meconium and I hemorrhaged 5 days postpartum during my OBGYN rotation for my...
ICP Care AmbassadorMy name is Guadalupe Manrique-Maldonado, and I am the Pennsylvania Ambassador for ICP Care. In 2017, I was 36 weeks pregnant with my first baby. One day I woke up feeling different, uncomfortable. The palms of my hands and the soles of my feet were...
ICP Care AmbassadorMy name is Ashley Bonnes, I am the Illinois Ambassador for ICP Care. My ICP story started in 2018, while pregnant with our son. I’d just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 28 weeks. Only 2 weeks later, I first felt itching at 30 weeks while...
ICP Care AmbassadorMy name is Jolene Johnson, I am the Iowa Ambassador for ICP Care. I started experiencing itching on the soles of my feet entering third trimester. I attributed it to sitting in my car most of the day for part of my job and also, we were entering the...
ICP Care AmbassadorMy name is Courtnay Kenney and I am the California Ambassador for ICP Care. I had a very severe case of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy with my second pregnancy with my daughter. She was born at 35 weeks safely thanks to my medical team and to...
ICP Care AmbassadorMy name is Veronica Taylor, I am the North Carolina Ambassador for ICP Care. I am a wife and mother of 3 beautiful children. After experiencing multiple losses, my husband and I had a baby boy, Evan, in 2015. He is our rainbow baby and my pregnancy...
ICP Care AmbassadorMy name is Tiffani Ice, I am the Virginia Ambassador for ICP Care. I was diagnosed with ICP during my third pregnancy. I had never heard of Cholestasis prior, so I thank ICP Care for supplying the knowledge and support I needed to self-advocate for...
My 35 week appointment was cancelled due to Covid. When I called in Tuesday questioning Laylee Joy’s movements, my nurse who I had seen for every appointment said it was normal for babies to have sleepy days.
New Evidence from two new studies have been published that support the benefits of Ursodiol to treat Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy.
Many misconceptions about Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy have occurred over the years and continue to spread. Here we dispel the myths and give you the facts.
ICP Care Team MemberMy passion for helping spread ICP awareness stems from my personal experience with ICP in both of my pregnancies (2017 & 2019). My journey with ICP began in 2017 while pregnant with my daughter. At the start of my 3rd trimester, I started...
ICP Care Team MemberI am a mother of three children under 5 years old who keep me busy.. My first pregnancy was seemingly free of complications and my son was born on his due date. However, looking back there were some symptoms that make me wonder if I did have ICP...
ICP Care Team MemberI am a wife and mother to two girls. Our first daughter, Laylee Joy, is our angel baby who passed away at 36 weeks due to ICP on March 28, 2020, during the start of the Covid pandemic. Our second daughter, Laya Jade, was born on March 23, 2021 at...
ICP Care Team MemberI am a proud mother of three young kids: Samuel (born in 2015), Vivian (born in 2017 after my first ICP pregnancy), and Tessa (my pandemic baby born in 2020 after my second ICP pregnancy). ICP runs strongly in my family. My mother had it...
ICP Care online silent auction September 8, 2021 to help those diagnosed with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy deliver healthy babies.
June is Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy Awareness Month – a month where we honor and remember those we have lost and raise awareness by educating as many mothers and healthcare professionals as possible. ICP is a group of disorders specific to pregnancy that...
I’ll never forget the night of September 21, 2017, the first day of my third trimester of pregnancy with my son Pablo Valentine. I remember so vividly being weak on the bathroom floor with bile coming out from both ends. It was yellow, acidic, and burned like nothing...
At about 30 weeks, I began itching and asked my doctor about it. I was itchy everywhere. He told me to avoid hot baths and take benedryl. At 33 weeks, I went to an all you can eat buffet and that night I could not sleep because the itching was so bad. Finally about...
I woke up in a fog with a strange feeling that I wasn’t pregnant anymore. Almost like I woke up in the middle of a dream. I reached down and my belly was still there, but I couldn’t shake this weird feeling. I was 39 weeks along with a perfect pregnancy. There was no...
My first pregnancy was smooth and easy. I didn’t even have the infamous nausea. I carried my baby to full term and delivered our little girl at 41 weeks. Two years later, I was pregnant with our second baby and everything seemed to be on par with my first pregnancy,...
My ICP journey began with my first pregnancy at 5 weeks gestation. I found out that I was pregnant at 4 weeks gestation, a week later I began to persistently itch. I spoke with a local emergency room nurse early on, my OB, a new OB and made countless trips to OB...
It was week 28 when I started itching. One night, I was so itchy I googled “intense itching during pregnancy”. First thing that popped up was “Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy”! After reading about it, I knew I had it. I remember telling family, I think I have...
Michelle Stephen went into spontaneous labor and gave birth to her baby boy, just a day after her fourth NST. He spent 9 days in the NICU.
The road to Lia McKernan holding her son in her arms was one paved with exhaustion, loss and anxiety, but ultimately joy. Read her story.
Lauren Walker’s first pregnancy was a dream and continued to live a normal life UNTIL she was 35 weeks when she became extremely itchy. Read her story.
Laura Bonebrake is an OB/Gyn physician and treat women with ICP. Her experience led her to advocate for research, appropriate treatment, etc. Read her story.
Katy Kessler was misdiagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum early on in her second pregnancy. She had lost 60 lbs. and felt super ill. Read her story.
When Katherine Probert began itching, she shrugged it off and labeled it as normal. By 37 weeks she was miserable and not sleeping. Read her story.
Kaitlan Terry was on vacation and thought her intense itching was due to getting a little too much sun. After a week, the itching persisted. Read her story
Julie Taylor was admitted to the hospital for an unrelated medical issue and her blood work revealed elevated liver enzymes. Her ICP story.
Jodie Wiren started itching on her hands and feet. A quick google search and she knew it was (ICP) Cholestasis of Pregnancy. Read her story.
Jason Miller was introduced to ICP when his wife returned from an appointment where she was diagnosed with a condition they’d never heard of. Read his story.
Jaimie Cozzone had itching on the bottoms of her feet and knew about ICP, but because she wasn’t scratching her skin off, she brushed it off. Read her story.
Hilary Boyer is mother of three ICP babies. She uses her degree in biology combined with the knowledge of a sibling doctor to help others. Read her story.
Grace Abraham, a mother of 3, noticed her hands and feet started to itch at 18 weeks. By 20 weeks, the itch had spread to most of her body. Read her story.
Board member Elisabeth Naff along with her husband Lucas are the proud parents of three boys: two on earth and one in heaven. Read her story.
ICP Care founder and board chair Donna Benavides experienced Cholestasis of Pregnancy and is blessed with two healthy children. Read her story.
Team volunteer Clarissa White is a mother to two “itchy” babies. Her first pregnancy progressed normally until about 36 weeks. Read her story.
Team volunteer Brie Reed is a mom to three ICP babies. Itching during her first pregnancy, she thought it was just a weird pregnancy thing. Read her story.
Team volunteer Amparo Healey had her first experience with ICP at the age of 22 when she was about 18 weeks pregnant. Read her story.
Amanda Dykeman had three completely normal pregnancies while unfortunately, her fourth pregnancy was anything but normal. Her ICP story.
Yvonne Casuso, at 32 weeks pregnant, started to have severe itching. Thinking she was having an allergic reaction, tried self-care options at first. Read her story.
Michelle Redpath-Lugo is on a mission to help educate woman on Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy after her experience. Read her story.
A comprehensive management guide was published in AJOG on Nov13, 2020. Many recommendations are in line with advice ICP Care often gives.
Thank you for supporting ICP Care. Donations to ICP Care come in all forms and sizes, whether they are cash, in-kind donations, corporate matching gifts, or through fundraising initiatives. Please take a moment to learn about all ways you can support our organization,...
ICP Care is hosting its FIRST Annual Silent Auction! Virtual doors open for bidding offering some amazing items. All proceeds support ICP Care.
Elisabeth Naff shares her experience with Intrahepatic Choleastasis of Pregnancy loss for October Pregnancy and Infant Loss awareness month.
Ruddy nuestra Moderadora del grupo de apoyo ICP Care español comparte su experiencia de su embarazo ICP y cómo su embarazo le enseñó la necesidad de soltar a veces. ¿Qué te ha enseñado tu embarazo ICP?
ICP affects us as fathers too because it affects those we love–our partners and our children. And it is important that fathers be informed.
ICP Care is forming a taskforce to create resources and assist with advocating for Black families with Black leaders in Maternal medicine.
Overall, the study was well-designed. However, there was one important issue with ursodeoxycholic acid that may have profoundly impacted results.
What can you do to increase awareness for ICP? Here are some tips to spread the word for Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy.
In February of 2019, a groundbreaking study was published regarding Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP), which found that under modern management practices the risk of stillbirth is not higher until bile acids reach 100 μmol/L. The study was a fantastic...
ICP Awareness Month ends soon, but I have ICP on my mind all year. Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy is a high-risk condition that affects 1-2 in 1.000 pregnant women. ICP is a liver disorder that leads to elevated bile acids, which can be harmful for babies....
ICP Care 501(c)(3) nonprofit is a volunteer-based charity raising Cholestasis of Pregnancy awareness and education with an evidenced based English and Spanish website that includes educational brochures for both patients and healthcare providers. Thank you to our...
Hilary Boyer and Donna Benavides at the 2018 ACOG Meeting. ICP Care's volunteer based 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity is looking forward to attending several healthcare professional conferences and meetings in 2019. This month we will be at the SMFM's (Society for...
Shortly after the birth of my son, I began to follow several mommy blogs on Facebook and read an article about how a woman’s complaint on Facebook about itching during pregnancy could have saved her baby’s life. Two years later during our second pregnancy with our...
Pregnancy had always been a dream of mine. No one in my family ever had any complications and they all really enjoyed being pregnant. I naively expected the same thing. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at 10 weeks. I was devastated, but I got pregnant again...
Have you ever thought you were going crazy because of something your body is doing that no one else understands? That’s how Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) felt for me the first time. I read all the books. I talked to my mom and other trusted family...
The ICP second annual Virtual Walk /Run to Fight the Itch registration results are in for the top teams. ICP Community there is still time left for us to meet our goal. You can participate as this event closes August 31. We are thankful for all the ICP Community and...
Welcome to ICP Care Blog page. We are excited to share all ICP related post. We would love submissions from other itchy moms, dads, writers, freelancers, and more. Please send your submission to info@icpcare.org
Would you like your personal experience, test results and medical treatment with this rare disease to further the advancement of science? Find out how your diagnosis can help through our Patient Registry.