Intrahepatic Cholestatic Jaundice of Pregnancy Followed by Enovid-induced Cholestatic Jaundice

Abstract

Jaundice, often recurring in successive pregnancies and characterized by intrahepatic cholestasis with few if any parenchymal liver changes, has been frequently observed in Scandinavia (1, 2) but less frequently observed in the United States (3). This condition, which generally occurs in the last 4 months of pregnancy, is not, however, rare and has been reported in many countries (4), having been usually entitled "recurrent jaundice of pregnancy" or "idiopathic jaundice of pregnancy." The jaundice, which is accompanied and often preceded by pruritus, disappears shortly after delivery. It is not caused by hepatitis, hepatic necrosis, or excessive hemolysis, but the biochemical