Dermatology and Pregnancy

Abstract

Cutaneous manifestations during pregnancy can be divided into physiologic and pathologic, resulting from many changes in the mother’s body. They encompass physiologic changes, dermatoses affected by the gestational condition, and dermatoses of the gestational period per se. The names and classification of these dermatoses have gone through many changes over the years, and recently were all simplified and summarized into the pregnancy-specific dermatoses: pemphigoid gestationis, polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, and atopic eruption of pregnancy. Pregnancy has a tendency to affect the course of the immunomediated diseases, with improvement in most of the cases, such as psoriasis, and worsening of other diseases, such as pemphigus, dermatopolymyositis, and lupus erythematosus. A watchful diagnosis and patient follow-up are crucial for treatment aimed at the prevention of maternal and fetal complications.