A MOTHER with a rare liver disorder which makes her itch during pregnancy has now been told by doctors her baby will have to be induced for its own safety.

Carolynne Archer, from Trowbridge, contracted obstetric cholestasis in her last two pregnancies, and could have lost both children.

Now the liver disease is back and she is wracked with constant itching all over her hands and body. She is being closely monitored by doctors worried the baby could be in danger.

Mrs Archer is keen to raise awareness about the condition among other young mums. The doctors who have treated her have described the problem as rare but very serious, since it puts babies' lives at risk.

She was 28 weeks into her latest pregnancy when the symptoms returned, but help arrived from her consultant at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, who has prescribed a new drug which alleviates some of the symptoms.

Mrs Archer said: "It has been a nightmare, especially in the hot weather, when I could hardly move. I was having four showers a day, and I just itch so much.

"It's frightening really, and I'll be glad when it's all over and the baby has arrived safe and sound."

The drug works to lower the level of bile salts in her blood, which stops the itching, but her consultant has decided that the baby should be induced in five weeks' time for both mother and baby's safety.

Mrs Archer said: "Although this new drug seems to help, it doesn't cure it but masks the symptoms, so the baby is still under threat. It makes sense just to induce the baby to be on the safe side."

She has suffered several miscarriages which she thinks could be to do with the stress of the itching. She also feels the condition is hereditary, with a high number of stillborn children in her family's past which she says the doctors in those days wouldn't have been able to identify as cholestasis.

She said: "Now everyone knows what it is I do get loads of support and everyone at the RUH has been great. They know this is a massive risk with me and they really keep an eye on me, which is reassuring."

She has had five children with her husband Mark, an accountant, but the couple have said the risk to Carolynne and the baby's health is too much, and they are not planning any more children.