Jaundice during Pregnancy: What Are the Signs?

Jaundice is not defined as a disease; it only indicates liver dysfunctions. Jaundice commonly does not occur in expecting mothers having no history of liver disorders; however, if a pregnant woman develops pregnancy cholestasis, fatty liver or pre-eclampsia, she might develop jaundice as a symptom of these conditions. The common signs of jaundice during pregnancy are:

Changes in the eye and skin:

An expecting mother with jaundice will usually experience gradual yellowing of whites of her eyes and skin. The yellowing primarily occurs due to the bilirubin buildup in her bloodstream. Bilirubin is basically waste products derived from iron. One of the primary functions of our liver is removing the bilirubin from our system. When the liver stops working properly, this function of the organ does not take place in the right manner and results in buildup of the chemical in blood. This increase in the levels of bilirubin makes our eyes and skin appear yellowish. If the levels of bilirubin become excessively high, the skin color might turn brown.

Change in the color of urine:

Bilirubin buildup also results in darkening of the color of our urine. The change of color of urine occurs when the body tries to flush out the bilirubin without using the liver. However, in case of pregnant women, change of the color of urine might also be because of the prenatal vitamins they are taking; in that case the color change is not related to jaundice.

Change of the feces:

Proper functioning of liver allows our body to rid itself from the conjugated bilirubin through feces. The feces are dark in color only due to the conjugated bilirubin. When your liver is damaged and the bilirubin is not being removed through the feces, you will find the stool getting clay-like or lighter in color.

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