postpartum hives

[Jakiesmumma]

I am 6 months postpartum and have been suffering with chronic hives since postpartum day two.  I have had 2 previous ED visits due to SOB, chest pain, facial swelling and loss of voice my 3rd and 4th days post partum.  I was put on Zyrtec at month 3 but in the past couple of days the Zyrtec is not working.  It makes me nervous because my voice gets raspy and my throat feels funny but my breathing stays ok and I do not have any wheezing.  I am pretty discouraged at this point and just want it all to go away.  We wanted to have a big family but now I'm fearing it wont be possible if this continues.  Any comments, suggestions, help etc??

[VeryItchyskin]

Hello - I started itching and getting the hives at 7 months and at delivery I was covered from head to toe. Swollen , bleeding from scratching , burning skin .... it was NOT a great pregnancy. They said it would go away as soon as I gave birth. They said it was PUPPS. It didn't go away . It lasted for 7 years. From DR to DR I went and nothing. Then they said I was allergic to my own hormones and they did a hysterectomy and that did stop itching for a little while. Then at 11 years it started again. and from then to now at 13 1/2 years I am still covered in hives 1-2 times a quarter. No explanation - nothing works - nothing helps. Help... anyone.

[LauraLSB]

It is working!  The testosterone is working great! My hives have gone down! My does may need to get larger but its working!

[LauraLSB]

I have had chronic hives for 7 years and no none knew what caused them. I finally found a doctor, OBGYN who thinks he knows what is going on.

They started right after I had my daughter. I had them very mildly prior to that so mild I had no idea what they were.  Very randomly they would pop out then go away. They came with a vengeance after her birth and have never left.

I was just diagnosed so I am not sure if this is the cure or not.  

I have low testosterone and high progesterone. They are putting me on testosterone cream to see if it makes them stop. I will keep you posted.

Get your testosterone and progesterone tested!  Doctors had no idea what was wrong with me and it turned out it wasn't my thyroid. But by going to an endo I did discover I had thyroid cancer, another story there.

So get tested for low testosterone and see if it is the answer!

[Nie123]

Could be a surgical tape allergy. Did you have an epidural?

[jray2002]

My wife is starting to have postpartum hives and from what I have read, we may be in the same boat as some of these other women that have posted. My question is when the hives are severe, can she take a Zertec once every 12 hours,. The Zyrtec seems to work for the day but at might, they come back.  Also, how does this effect breastfeeding.

[ShawnaLeeRoy]

Hi, this may be completely irrelevant but I also suffered from hives starting 6 months postpartum. I became immune to antihistamines, my whole body was covered in hives and my eyes, lips and feet would swell to an unbelievable size. After inconclusive allergy testing and over 3 months of finding no relief, I decided to learn to live with my condition. Within 3 days of going back on birth control all my symptoms vanished (I had to stop nursing anyways because of the prednisone, which offered very temporary relief), I have been hive free for over 3 months now and I have been off birth control for 1 and a half months.

[GirliesMama]

I, too, have had hives pretty severely as you did with the breating and swelling troubles.  Mine started at week 2 after baby was born and I'm at 12 weeks now and still suffer to some degree every day, although not as bad as they were in the beginning.  Same thing with no help from blood tests for most common allergies.  I tried Clariton, Benedryl, ... Zyrtec worked but made me sleepy (and that is NOT what you need with a newborn!!).  I heard that Allegra (dr. prescribed, not over the counter) was an OK drug in conjunction with breastfeeding and I've been taking that successfully for about a week.  You can take up to two a day although one seems to do the trick.  I take it when I start to itch (typically my scalp, feet, or hands), works quickly for me.  No one seems to know what the problem is, I've never had allergies.  I'm guessing it's the hormones and it will HOPEFULLY end when I stop breastfeeding.  Ugh.  I had a natural delivery, not c-section like some sufferers I've read about.  No drugs to link it to.  Good luck and keep us posted.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

tauz is in fact right about consulting an allergy specialist for the symptoms you are having.

Have you seen a specialist as yet? How are you doing now? Antihistamine or antiallergic medications do help, but it would be best to consult a doctor before you take any medications.

Let us know if you have any doubts and keep us posted about how you are doing.

Hope this helps.

Regards.

[tauz]

Hi,
I started getting hives 4 months postpartum and I have now experienced them every night for two months. I two get them on my face throat, eye balls and enternally, everywhere. I had blood work and they said everything is fine. I have a appointment to see a second allergist, but the first one could not figure it out. I changed my diet, tried to find things that could possibly be causing it and the bottom line is I haven't found anything. I however did get a epipen to keep in emergencies, because sometimes the hives affected my breathing. My Dr. just prescribed Clariton today I hope it brings some relief. If you are not nursing you could also try a liver flush. I heard that the reason some women experience this is because our horomones get out of wack. Acupuncture also has helped, but you have to do it regularly. Good luck I know what your going through it makes it hard to just enjoy your little loved one.  
Tauz

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

You need to consult an allergy specialist at the earliest and get a proper clinical examination done to come to a definite diagnosis about the symptoms you are having.
You would probably need certain investigations too including some blood tests.

You need not worry so much, once a diagnosis is established your condition would be managed accordingly.

It would help to discuss all your problems in detail with the allergy specialist.

Let us know what he/she tells you after the examination and investigations.

Regards.