A Woman Suffers from a Rare Condition That Causes Her Body to Be Allergic to Her Own Child, Breaking Out in Hives Whenever She Gets Close.
A new mother experienced painful blisters during her pregnancy and was shocked to learn that she was “allergic” to her own child.
Rare case of a mother allergic to her own child.
Fiona Hooker, 32, from Hampshire, England, became pregnant with her second child in early 2021. She first noticed itchy red patches on her abdomen when she was 31 weeks pregnant. As time passed, her allergic condition worsened.
The woman discovered that she was allergic to her own child, a rare condition affecting 1 in 50,000 people. Gestational Pemphigoid is an uncommon pregnancy condition. Her body reacts to a gene in her son’s DNA, causing her immune system to attack her own skin.
After giving birth, the allergic reaction intensified. Fiona Hooker suffered from blisters and itchy red patches on her abdomen, as well as rashes on her chest, arms, and legs. Essentially, it affected every area that came into contact with her baby.
Itchy blisters on Fiona Hooker’s abdomen
Fiona Hooker stated: “I had a few small, very itchy bumps around my navel. I visited the doctor a few days after giving birth because the skin condition became increasingly itchy and unbearable. It felt like I was allergic to my own child.”
The 32-year-old woman mentioned that when she first approached doctors, they were quite perplexed by her condition as they had never encountered a case like hers before. She had a 3-year-old daughter named Phoebe, and her first pregnancy had no complications.
She sought advice from a dermatologist and was instructed to use strong steroid medication both orally and topically.
Fiona Hooker said: “Two days before giving birth, I started feeling like I couldn’t bear it anymore, and 24 hours after I gave birth, the itching erupted into blisters.”
Fortunately, her allergy began to subside six months after she started using steroids. “Many people have to undergo immunosuppressive therapy to better control their condition; I consider myself quite lucky,” Fiona Hooker shared.
To this day, Hooker still does not understand why she developed this disorder. After six months, she no longer took daily medication, and her condition gradually improved. Ultimately, Hooker was able to bond with her son without enduring extreme pain.
