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.
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 to two toddlers who keep me busy during the day. My first pregnancy was free of complications and my son was born on his due date. 10 months later, I was pregnant with my daughter and expected the same experience. My pregnancy...
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.
Meghan Flake had never heard of ICP before and didn’t think anything of her itching until it got really bad at 36 weeks and called her doctor.
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. Read her 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.
La miembro de el equipo Amparo Healey tuvo su primera experiencia con ICP a la edad de 22 años cuando tenía aproximadamente 18 semanas de embarazo.
Team volunteer Amanda Dykeman had three completely normal pregnancies while unfortunately, her fourth pregnancy was anything but normal. 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