Pregnant Woman Gets Biopsy for Rash, Never Expected What It Would Reveal 

Two weeks after undergoing a biopsy to investigate a mysterious rash on her arm, a pregnant woman from Queensland, Australia received a diagnosis that left her stunned.

Robby MacDonald-Camden, 32, told Newsweek that the rash began as intensely itchy, almost “hive-like” bumps that wouldn’t go away.

Over time, it spread and developed into red spots across her stomach.

Concerned by the severe itching and a decrease in fetal movement at 35 weeks pregnant, MacDonald-Camden sought medical attention at an Obstetrics Review Center (ORC).

There, doctors performed blood tests to ensure there was no underlying condition that could harm her baby.

“After they confirmed the baby was all good, they gave me a steroid cream and antihistamine,” MacDonald-Camden said. “Neither of these things helped and over the next couple days, it spread everywhere, became very inflamed and hot to touch [and] swollen in some places.”

Back in the ORC, dermatologists performed a biopsy on her leg.

Two days later, she returned to the dermatology unit after parts of the rash began to blister, where doctors diagnosed her with pemphigoid gestationis and started her on high-dose steroid tablets.

“I felt relieved that they knew what [it] was and there was a way to help it, confused because they didn’t know why I hadn’t gotten in my first pregnancy and scared because the amount of discomfort was growing each day,” MacDonald-Camden said.

Debra Jaliman, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Newsweek that pemphigoid gestationis is a rare autoimmune blistering disorder that affects approximately one in every 50,000 pregnancies.

“The woman’s immune system attacks a specific type of collagen (collagen XVII),” Jaliman said. “This connects the surface skin (epidermis) with the deeper skin (dermis). It is a very itchy rash often with blisters seen around the belly button area. It can spread over the next few days to weeks to cover the entire trunk, arms and legs.”

Jaliman said pregnant women who develop a rash should see a dermatologist.

“A simple skin biopsy can be performed, which confirms the diagnosis,” she added.

When it first started, MacDonald-Camden was trying to understand why she had developed the rash.

“It’s an autoimmune response, so you’re kind of clueless to a cause,” she said.

MacDonald-Camden discovered that there were few detailed resources or first-hand accounts available online, highlighting just how rare the condition is.

At the hospital, medical staff frequently stopped to examine the rash, with many experienced doctors saying they had seen only one or two cases in their careers, while younger clinicians and midwives were often unfamiliar with it altogether.

Throughout the day, MacDonald-Camden was in severe discomfort.

She said it would hurt to walk and would frequently wake up in the night feeling like her hands and legs were covered in ant bites.

“Being in a state of severe itching and inflamed skin when you’re at home full time with a toddler is very debilitating,” MacDonald-Camden said. “You want to be fun for them, but your body is blocking you from doing simple daily life things.”

The rash began easing about two days after giving birth, with no new flare-ups since.

The affected areas are now scabbing and healing, while the red, raised skin has faded to a brownish color.

“Apparently that will fade,” MacDonald-Camden said.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman and Paul Donnelley.