Is a rash on my belly normal?

[jjerzeegirl]

hey girls..
I am almost 19 weeks and have a rash on my belly....look like tiny red dots...
My daughter had the same thing....and the doc said it was a virus..the thing is...i feel great...no other symptoms.

[rockndoc69]

There are multiple red bumpy rashes that if you have during pregnancy, they need to be looked at by a doctor and diagnosed. And if one doc says not to worry about it over the phone or without seeing you and telling you what it is, you need to see someone that will find out what it is - there are a number of these rashes that are harmless to you, but are teratogenic (can cause deformities or more severe problems) for your baby (TORCH infections).

Viral infections in pregnancy are major causes of maternal and fetal illness and sometimes death. Infections can develop in the neonate transplacentally, perinatally (from vaginal secretions or blood), or postnatally (from breast milk or other sources). The consequences of neonatal infections vary depending on the virus and gestational age at exposure. The risk of infection is usually higher the younger the baby is in utero when exposed, some resulting in a congenital malformation syndrome.

Infections known to produce congenital defects have been described with the acronym TORCH (Toxoplasma, others, rubella, cytomegalovirus [CMV], herpes). The "others" category has rapidly expanded to include several viruses known to cause disease in your baby.

Traditionally, the only viral infections of concern during pregnancy were those caused by rubella virus, CMV, and herpes simplex virus (HSV). Other viruses now known to cause congenital infections include parvovirus B19 (B19V), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), West Nile virus, measles virus, enteroviruses, adenovirus, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Please - for anyone that develops a strange rash during pregnancy, or thinks they have been exposed to one of the viruses that I mentioned above - please see someone that will determine what it is. Best case scenario, it's nothing - but the stakes are too high to blow off as "just a virus".  I am a physician

[mlb1234]

I had a strange rash on my hips early in the second trimester.  (maybe due to the maternity waist bands??).  I freaked out and went to the primary care dr.  It was basically nothing and had I waited a couple more days it would have disappeared.  The dr. recommended a low dose hydrocortisone cream for a day or two.  Skin rashes and itchy skin are very common in pregnancy!!!  I read this in one of my baby books like the day AFTER i went to the doctor!!!

[jjerzeegirl]

yeah the doc said it's nothing that stinks out in her mind...
If it spreads or begins to itch to give them a call.  

But now it's all mental...I just feel itchy all over..but i know it's in my head now...lol...

So you've had it before , April1113?

[April1113]

I have the same thing and have had it since very early on and the doc said its normal, just another one of those pregnancy things.

[chellybeans]

hrm, i'm interested to hear what it is. please update us.

[jjerzeegirl]

thanks for looking that up...i read up on that as well.
thing is..it's not itchy and not in large patches....more like tiny red bumps sporadically on my belly..
i placed a call into the doc...so we'll see..

[chellybeans]

it could be PUPPP. i don't know but this is what i looked up and found about itchy rashes during pregnancy

Up to 1 percent of pregnant women develop a condition characterized by itchy, red bumps and larger patches of a hive-like rash on their bellies. This is called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP) or polymorphic eruption of pregnancy.

PUPPP usually begins in the third trimester and is more common among women carrying twins and those having their first baby. The eruptions usually show up first on the abdomen around or in stretch marks (if you have any) and may spread to your thighs, buttocks, and arms. PUPPP is harmless for you and your baby, but it can itch like crazy!

Your doctor or midwife will want to see you for a diagnosis and will probably prescribe a topical ointment to give you some relief. She may also recommend an antihistamine. In severe cases, you may need a course of oral steroids.

PUPPP usually disappears within a few days after delivery, although it sometimes persists for several weeks. (In rare cases, it may even begin after you give birth.) Fortunately, it seldom appears again in subsequent pregnancies.

Even more rare than PUPPP is a skin condition called prurigo of pregnancy (or papular eruptions of pregnancy), which is characterized by many tiny bumps that may look like bug bites. These eruptions can occur anywhere on your body, but you're most likely to get them on your hands, feet, arms, and legs.

Although the eruptions can be itchy and annoying, prurigo of pregnancy appears to pose no risk to your baby. This condition generally starts around the beginning of the third trimester and may last for up to three months after you give birth.

In very rare cases, a pregnant woman will develop very itchy eruptions that start out like hives and then turn into large blistering lesions. This rash is called pemphigoid gestationis (or herpes gestationis, although it has nothing to do with herpes virus). The eruptions often start on the abdomen and spread to the arms and legs.

This condition is considered more serious than PUPPP because it may be associated with an increased risk for preterm delivery and fetal growth problems. It usually begins in the second or third trimester, but it can start anytime — even in the first week or two after you have your baby.

Pemphigoid gestationis can come and go throughout pregnancy, and it often flares up after delivery as well. It usually happens again in subsequent pregnancies and tends to be more severe.