The previous article defines pregnancy cholestasis. To read it, go to Pregnancy Cholestasis: Liver Disease During Pregnancy.

There are many possible causes of pregnancy cholestasis, which you can find below. Many of them remain relatively unknown to the scientific community. Cholestasis seems to be the result of a set of factors that can explain its occurrence:

• Pregnancy hormones, and especially progesterone. These hormones affect the liver function, and there are more bile acids in these women’s blood;
• Advanced age of the pregnant woman;
• Genetic predisposition (liver problem history or positive family history);
• Diet;
• Climate (colder climates according to statistics);

This list indicates that you can’t really take precautions to avoid or heal cholestasis!

Pregnancy Cholestasis Risks

Risks are low because when monitored properly, the pregnancy will generally be just fine. However, there is a risk of premature birth and fetal suffering that can rarely lead to in utero death. 

We know that bile acids can have an impact on the baby’s heart rate. Since bile acid is sensitive to oxytocin, this can explain the risk of prematurity.

To read the following part, go to Treating and Monitoring Pregnancy Cholestasis.