| Abstract: | Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is a pregnancy-specific liver disease characterised by maternal pruritus and raised serum bile acids. It is of multifactorial aetiology with genetic influences. The disease has potential implications for the fetus, linked to the serum bile acid concentration in the blood, including preterm labour, stillbirth and effects on fetal organ systems including the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The mainstay of pharmacological management is the drug ursodeoxycholic acid which improves pruritus and decreases serum bile acid concentrations. In the UK, management of delivery is usually induction of labour between 37 and 38 weeks gestation, balancing the risks associated with preterm delivery against that of fetal demise which is greater as gestation advances. |
