Who gets obstetric cholestasis?
Obstetric cholestasis occurs in about 1 in 100 pregnancies in the UK. It is more common in women carrying twins, triplets, or more. Mothers, daughters and sisters of affected women have a higher than average risk of also being affected when pregnant. It is more common in certain parts of the world. For example, in some countries in South America, especially Chile and Bolivia, up to 1 in 20 or more pregnant women develop this condition. (These facts support the theory that there is a strong genetic factor involved – see below.) If you have obstetric cholestasis in one pregnancy, you have a high chance that it will occur in future pregnancies.
