A TROWBRIDGE woman who suffers from a rare liver disorder that makes her itch during pregnancy hopes to start a support group to raise awareness of the condition.

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

She is now due to have her sixth child in September, and doctors say there is a strong chance she will get the symptoms of the condition again later in her pregnancy.

The main symptom of obstetric cholestasis is itching all over the body.

Mrs Archer said: "It is very intense. It starts with my hands and feet itching and then just spreads all over your body.

"It feels like there are bugs wriggling under your skin and it can make you very depressed. But the strange thing is that it stops as soon as the baby is born.

"People do not know anything about the condition and they can be a bit off with me. I just want to raise awareness about the condition because anyone can get it when they are pregnant."

Mrs Archer has had five children with her husband Mark, an accountant from Trowbridge.

The couple have one son and four daughters, but it was a tough choice for them, with Carolynne's chances of getting the condition increasing.

Mrs Archer said: "We wanted a brother for Thomas. But I do not know whether we can cope with going through it all again if things go wrong or if this baby is a girl.

"I have had a couple of miscarriages too, which might have been connected with the stress of the condition."

Staff at the Royal United Hospital in Bath have told Mrs Archer they are confident that with close monitoring in the closing stages of pregnancy her baby will be delivered safely.

She is likely to spend the last few months having regular blood tests so hospital staff can monitor the progress of the condition, and induce labour if necessary.

The condition is thought to be hereditary, and Mrs Archer believes that the high number of stillborn children in her family's past could have been to do with the condition, but in those days the doctors would not have known what it was.

Her cousin Geraldine also suffered from the disorder, and has been told by her doctor not to have any more children.

Mrs Archer is also worried that her daughters may get it when they have families of their own.