4 Things That Happen To Varicose Veins in Pregnancy

Symptoms of varicose veins include aching limbs, swollen ankles, and tired heavy legs. Sound familiar? You’re not alone- varicose veins are a common pregnancy problem. In your final three months especially, the enlarging uterus restricts blood flow, meaning leg lethargy is at its peak. So what four things can you expect? 1. More knowledge about veins than you ever thought you’d need What are varicose veins? Well firstly, ask what veins do. Veins exist to channel blood up the leg so that it can go around our system again and again, supplying oxygen to muscles and tissues. Blood is pumped to where it needs to be by a vein-valve muscle-contraction combination that works to squash veins and squeeze blood, against gravity, up legs. But, because of that big pregnancy uterus this is all slowed down, and varicose veins occur, which is basically the swelling and throbbing of veins when they can’t function properly. Then phlebitis can set in… 2. Phlebitis This sounds like a title to a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel about death in the 18th century- but don’t worry, it’s not. Phlebitis is a self-limiting condition- it gets better on its own- and refers to the tenderness varicose veins can cause. Phlebitis is caused when an area of damaged varicose vein develops a clot inside of itself and causes inflammation around the affected area. This can cause discomfort and pain for several weeks, and is sometimes recurring. Medication for this upsetting and agonizing condition is best administered through topical gels rather than oral pills that can harm baby, and an ice pack on the area can help reduce soreness and swelling if you need it. A bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel works great, too! 3. Stockings Of course we want to avoid any undue surgery during pregnancy, to minimize risk to mother or baby, and so doctors generally try to manage veins without operative treatment until pregnancy is over. Primarily this means stockings- and not the sexy kind. Stockings help blood flow back up the leg by gentle compression- a light squeeze. There should be a gradient to this compression, so that the stocking is tightest at the ankle and gradually less tight as it goes up the leg. Bad stockings won’t be graduated, and will be of little use in helping symptoms. Ill-fitted stockings will fall down the leg and bunch up at the knee, actively bad for you since they can then restrict blood flow. Ill-fitting stockings are actually worse than no stockings at all. Keeping stockings up during pregnancy can be a challenge, so seek out ‘grip tops’, or consider the height of fashion and invest in a suspender belt, or tights instead. Gorgeous. rn4. Recovery Once pregnancy is over, varicose veins will usually get better and symptoms disappear. However, damage to the valves in veins can often be permanent, and so many patients undergo surgical treatment to correct the problem, and as a way to prevent recurrence in subsequent pregnancies. A plethora of minimally-invasive options exist that are far removed from the traditional painful methods we associate with historic varicose vein treatment. Any good doctor will happily talk through your options.