30th Anniversary Appeal

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a liver condition unique to pregnancy. It affects 5,500 women in the UK every year and is caused through a combination of genetics, hormones and environmental factors. Its main symptom is itching which may be so severe that some women have reported feeling suicidal. In its most severe form it can cause stillbirth.

Although an Appeal for donations during a pandemic may seem daunting, Covid-19 hasn't stopped women developing ICP and the risk of stillbirth in severe ICP hasn't gone away. Women with the condition are faced with a lack of standardised care in their pregnancies, leading to worry and anxiety, so the information ICP Support provides to women enables them to ask for the right care in their pregnancies and ensure the safe arrival of their babies.

Your donation will help our charity to continue our work. Excitingly, a minimum of 40% of what is raised will be donated towards research. Throughout the year we will be asking women and their families what research they would like to see happening, and we will share with you what our researchers would like to do.

With your help, together, we can stamp out stillbirth when it comes to ICP

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2021 marks the 30th Anniversary of ICP Support. Originally started as a support and information line in 1991 by Jenny Chambers, who suffered two stillbirths and battled mightily before she received a diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, ICP Support has gone from strength to strength. It is now the largest ICP research-based charity in the world and supports anyone affected by ICP.

But the charity hasn't achieved this alone. Many women and their families have tirelessly fundraised to enable ICP Support to reach even more women affected by this potentially devastating condition of pregnancy. From coffee mornings to golf days, from the ice bucket challenge to the 2.6 Challenge during the first lockdown of the pandemic, loyal supporters have helped to keep the charity financially afloat.

The challenge is now to forge a path forward. We need more research - research into additional health issues for sufferers in later life, and into possible effects on the children of sufferers (some of whom are now entering their 30s). Can diet help? There's so much we still have to discover, and we need your help to do that. Please donate whatever you can afford to help us be here well into the future. If your circumstances are difficult, please help us spread the word - the more people that know about us, the more women we can reach and support!