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Home /
Quick Facts: Women's Health Issues /
Complications of Pregnancy /
... /
Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy /
IN THIS TOPIC

What are pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy?

What causes these rashes?

How do doctors treat these rashes?

OTHER TOPICS IN THIS CHAPTER

Complications of Pregnancy
Cervical Insufficiency
Ectopic Pregnancy
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Intra-Amniotic Infection
Miscarriage
Pemphigoid Gestationis
Placenta Previa
Placental Abruption
Preeclampsia and Eclampsia
Problems With Amniotic Fluid
Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy
Rh Incompatibility
Stillbirth
Vasa Previa

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Quick Facts

Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Last full review/revision Sep 2019
Click here for the Professional Version
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Topic Resources

What are pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy?

They are intensely itchy rashes that happen only when you're pregnant. The rash:

  • Usually appears during the last 2 to 3 weeks of being pregnant

  • Consists of red, irregularly shaped, and slightly raised patches, sometimes with tiny blisters in the center

  • Appears on your belly and then spreads to your thighs, bottom, and sometimes arms

  • Usually goes away shortly after delivery

  • Is common in first pregnancies—the rash usually doesn’t come back in future pregnancies

You may have hundreds of itchy patches. Often the skin around the patches is pale.

What causes these rashes?

No one knows what causes these rashes. Doctors may even have trouble making a definite diagnosis.

How do doctors treat these rashes?

Doctors will have you put a corticosteroid cream on your rash. Rarely, if your rash is severe, you may take a corticosteroid pill, such as prednisone.

Drugs Mentioned In This Article

Generic Name Select Brand Names
prednisone
 RAYOS
NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: Click here for the Professional Version
Click here for the Professional Version
© 2020 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA)
Problems With Amniotic Fluid
Rh Incompatibility

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