Treatment for Varicose Veins During Pregnancy in Melbourne

Varicose Veins While Pregnant

During pregnancy, you can expect a variety of side effects, from cramps and back pain to mood changes. There’s one side effect many people don’t expect to deal with: varicose veins. Developing twisting, bulging veins in the lower half of your body is a distressing but fairly common occurrence during pregnancy. Approximately one in three women experience varicose veins during their lifetime, with the risk heightened during pregnancy.

What are Pregnancy Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins occur during pregnancy due to hormonal changes and increased blood flowing throughout your body. These changes occur to help support your growing baby but can also lead to swollen legs and enlarged veins.

As the baby grows, your uterus also tends to press on and partially obstruct veins that allow blood to flow from your legs to your heart. Higher levels of the hormone, progesterone, released during pregnancy also make the walls of your veins softer and decrease valve function, which makes it more difficult for your circulatory system to work as efficiently.

Symptoms and Causes

In addition to more blood flow, hormones and extra pressure from your baby on blood vessels, there are other factors that can increase your risk of developing varicose veins. This includes a family history of varicose veins, poor diet, inactivity and higher overall body weight. Common symptoms include:

• Prominent veins that look like they are bulging or twisting under the skin
• Blue or purple colouring on affected veins
• Heavy feeling in your legs
• Cramping, aching, swelling and throbbing pains in the legs
• Itching and redness around prominent veins

The most common locations for varicose veins after pregnancy and during pregnancy, are on your legs, ankles and vulvar area. Also common are spider veins during pregnancy, which are fine blue or red lines that you can see through your skin are not lumpy.

Management and Treatment

There’s no way you can avoid spider veins or varicose veins during pregnancy with any degree of certainty. There are, however, steps you can take to reduce the risk:

• Maintain an Active Lifestyle: Consistent, low intensity exercise helps to promote blood flow throughout the body. The likelihood of developing varicose veins during pregnancy can be significantly reduced with activities like daily walks.

• Wear Loose, Comfortable Clothing: Tight clothing around the waist, pelvis, knees or ankles can further limit circulation and increase the chance of developing varicose veins. High heels also negatively affect blood flow in the legs.
• Elevate Your Legs: When possible, rest your legs with your feet raised above your hips. At the end of the day, especially if you have been standing in one spot for extended periods of time, lay on your bed or on the floor and position your legs upright on the wall. This will help to move the blood from your legs and offer your veins some rest and relief.
• Sleep On Your Left Side: This can help improve circulation by reducing the amount of pressure on the inferior vena cava, your body’s largest vein, which is located on the right side of your body.
• Compression Stockings: Varicose veins and spider veins in pregnancy, that develop in the legs, can be managed and prevented using compression stockings.
• Quality Maternity-Support Pantyhose: These offer beneficial compression to the skin, muscles and blood vessels, helping to mitigate the onset of varicose veins and spider veins. They differ from regular pantyhose by applying gradual amounts of pressure across your legs, with more compression at the ankle and less towards the top of the leg.
• Ergonomic Sitting Positions: Avoid crossing your legs. While sitting at a desk, sit with your feet flat on the floor with your ankles in front of your knees. Keep your knees at equal height or slightly lower than your hips while maintaining a small space between your knees and the seat.
• Stay Hydrated: Keeping well-hydrated helps maintain blood viscosity to a manageable level for your circulatory system, making it easier for muscles in your lower body to push blood back up towards your heart. Try to drink 3 to 4 litres of water each day.
• Nutrition: Eat a balanced and healthy diet with low-salt foods and plenty of fibre and vitamin C to promote circulatory health. There may be certain supplements you can take, but always consult a doctor before doing so.
• Manage Weight Gain, if Possible: Limiting weight gain isn’t easy while you’re pregnant but it can help reduce the amount of pressure placed on veins in the lower half of your body and help you to avoid varicose veins during pregnancy.

Safe, non-invasive, non-surgical treatments are available from Vein Care, including ultrasound guided sclerotherapy and endovenous laser treatment.

What Causes Varicose Veins in Pregnancy?

Our veins have valves which prevent blood making its way back to your heart from flowing backwards. Varicose veins develop when these valves don’t work properly and the vein walls start becoming weaker. Blood then starts collecting in these areas and the walls of the vein start to stretch and sag. Eventually the vein swells and becomes visible under your skin.

Risk factors for varicose veins include older age, excess weight, high blood pressure and spending a lot of time sitting. Varicose veins usually go away by the time your baby is one year old, and your blood volume and pressure return to normal. There are treatment options and ways to ease the discomfort if they don’t go away as you would like.

What can I do About Varicose Veins While I’m Pregnant?

Varicose veins are generally temporary during pregnancy, shrinking or going away after your baby is born. They can, however, get worse with each pregnancy, often less likely to go away. If you’re looking for minimally invasive, non-surgical treatments for varicose veins after pregnancy, Vein Care offers several options at our clinics in Melbourne, including:

• Sclerotherapy and Microsclerotherapy: Injecting a special solution into the affected vein, causing it to dissolve and get absorbed by your body.
• Ultrasound-Guided Sclerotherapy: Using an ultrasound to improve the accuracy of sclerotherapy when treating less prominent varicose veins.
• Endovenous Laser Therapy: Heating the veins with a special laser to shrink and close them.
• Cyanoacrylate Vein Glue: Injecting a medical grade adhesive into the problem vein and applying pressure to seal the affected vein.
• Ambulatory Phlebectomy: Removing more severe varicose veins through tiny incisions using special hooks.

These treatments take between 30 to 60 minutes and are relatively painless with minimal side effects. Some of these procedures may also be carried out during pregnancy. The appropriate treatment varies depending on the location and other individual factors. A vulvar varicose vein during pregnancy, for example, may need to be treated after birth.

When to Worry About Varicose Veins in Pregnancy

Most of the time, varicose veins are not a serious medical issue. There are cases where the condition can worsen and be a cause for concern:

• Bleeding from the vein
• Skin hardening or ulcers appearing near the varicose vein
• Leg pain, swelling and redness, which may indicate a blood clot

If any of these symptoms occur, consult a doctor to rule out a more serious vascular disease or other complication.

Haemorrhoids and Varicose Veins in Pregnancy

Haemorrhoids are also common during pregnancy. These are varicose veins that occur in your rectum or around your anus. Haemorrhoids are also often harmless and get better after you’ve had your baby. You can help relieve the discomfort of your haemorrhoids with ice packs, stool softeners and rectal creams. You can also try sitting in a warm, shallow bath for 10 to 20 minutes a few times a day.