Varicose Veins Treatment During Pregnancy
Varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins that appear blue or red under the skin. They are caused by faulty valves in the veins and are mostly found in the legs or thighs.
Varicose veins are common during pregnancy and in women with a family history of this vein problem. Studies show that up to 50% of pregnant women develop varicose veins.
What Causes Varicose Veins During Pregnancy?
Varicose veins can develop at any point during pregnancy but they tend to get bigger and more visible as you are near your labor. Varicose veins happen often to pregnant women due to these factors:
Increased blood volume. During pregnancy, your body increases blood volume in arteries and veins to nurture the baby. This puts extra pressure on leg veins and causes veins to stretch.
Increased pressure in the abdomen and pelvis from the baby. As your uterus expands, pressure on your legs increases, which can then accelerate the formation of varicose veins.
Increased hormones. A healthy pregnancy requires estrogen and progesterone hormones which however can weaken the walls of your veins. Together with extra blood volume and increased pressure, your legs can easily get swollen.
Decreased physical activity. During pregnancy, you might move and exercise less frequently, which increases the risk of developing varicose veins.
Weight gain. The increase in weight puts more pressure on your veins, especially in the lower legs.
Women with a family history of varicose veins are also at a higher risk.
What Are The Symptoms of Varicose Veins?
Symptoms of varicose veins include:
Leg aching
Leg heaviness
Muscle cramping
Ankle or leg swelling
Leg itching and burning
Skin discoloration.
As these veins progress, some females will develop twisted, bulging veins along the thighs and lower legs. Varicose veins also become worse with age, weight gain and each subsequent pregnancy.
Q: Do varicose veins go away after the pregnancy?
A: Typically varicose veins will go away within a year after giving birth but it may take longer or can last forever. If you have multiple pregnancies, the valves are damaged and weakened so it’s difficult for varicose veins to resolve.
Q: How can I prevent varicose veins during pregnancy?
If you or other members of your family have had varicose veins, use preventive measures that are safe during pregnancy. Recommendations include:
Wear compression hose: Compression stocking helps the blood flow. It will also minimize and control leg swelling and leg pain, which occurs a lot during pregnancy.
Exercise regularly to improve leg strength and circulation of your veins
Avoid prolonged standing or sitting: Try to have at least a 5-minute walk every hour. As you sit, don’t cross your legs as this behavior is linked to causing spider veins and varicose veins.
Elevate your legs whenever possible, especially after a day-long of standing/sitting. We do recommend you elevate your legs before sleeping.
Try to sleep on your left side to reduce the pressure on the inferior vena cava, which is on the right side of your body.
DO’s and DONT’s advice for varicose veins during pregnancy
Q: Is it safe to treat varicose veins during pregnancy?
We wouldn’t recommend any surgical treatments during pregnancy. There are some tips and tricks you can use to minimize the appearance and relieve the discomfort of varicose veins while pregnant.
Exercise – Light walking or yoga can help exercise your leg muscle and supports blood circulation. Talk to your doctor to see which activities are safe for you.
Wear flats – Wearing high heels make it harder for leg muscles to help blood flow. If you have to sit or stand for prolonged periods of time, wearing high heels will worsen the vein symptoms and cause more pain at the end of the day.
Wear compression stockings – Support hose can help combat the increased pressure within the veins and support blood flow. We would recommend you put them on in the morning and take them off before going to bed.
Avoid crossing legs when sitting – Crossing one leg over the other prevents the blood flow through veins and builds up more pressure on leg veins.
Change position frequently – If you need to sit or stand for a long time at work, try to change your positions or have some stretching as often as you can.
Sleep on your left side – Try to sleep on your left side than your right to prevent your uterus from pushing against the veins in the abdomen.
Elevate your legs – Increased blood volume, extra weights and gravity create greater pressure on leg veins. Therefore, by elevating your legs throughout the day, you can limit the power of gravity on your blood flow. While sleeping, you can place your feet up on a pillow to help blood circulate better while sleeping.
Reduce your salt intake – High salt consumption creates fluid retention into your blood vessels and increases pressure in your veins. Excess fluid can create the symptom of swollen legs and ankles. Drinking plenty of water will help your body maintain proper fluid balance.
Watch your weight – Make sure your weight increase is within a healthy spectrum. Weight gain is expected but the more weight you gain, the more pressure you are putting on your veins.
Most of the time varicose veins will go away on their own in the months after giving birth. However, if your varicose veins do not go away after the baby has arrived, you can then decide to have them medically treated or removed depending on severity.
If you had varicose veins appear during your first pregnancy and you’re considering having another child, we recommend that you consult a vein doctor. You may need to consider treatment for varicose veins before your next pregnancy as the symptoms can get worse and become more painful than the one before.
Our vein centers offer minimally invasive treatments for varicose veins including:
Sclerotherapy. A special chemical is injected into the vein to cause the treated veins to collapse and fade away.
Endovenous ablation therapy. Our vein doctor uses a small tube (catheter) to insert into your vein. A laser or radiofrequency radiation is used to heat and close off the vein. Over time, your problematic veins will go away.
Ambulatory phlebectomy. The vein is removed with a special hook through several small cuts in the skin.
Varicose Veins Treatment Near Me
Learn more about medical and cosmetic treatment options for this type of vein disorder by calling 888-782-8346 and scheduling your free screening at one of our local vein clinics. Our vein clinics have 10 vein locations across South Dakota, Iowa, and Minneapolis. Our vein doctors are certified and highly skilled in treating varicose veins, spider veins, and other vein-related symptoms.