Varicose Veins During Pregnancy
Pregnancy will commonly provoke the development of new varicose veins and also aggravate pre-existing varicose veins that were present before pregnancy.
As the baby grows with in the pelvis, increasing obstruction of the passage of venous outflow from the legs begins to occur. This leads to back pressure on the veins in the legs causing increased venous congestion. Another factor is that as women approach term the circulating blood volume significantly increases by up to 30-40% which stretches the veins to nearly full capacity. This will often significantly aggravate pre-existing varicose veins as well as increase the risk of new varicose veins developing.
The higher the number of pregnancies, the higher the risk is for the mother to develop varicose veins. However this is not to say that women having many children will get varicose veins.
Women are also more susceptible to varicose veins because the valve leaflets inside the veins which prevent the blood from refluxing back into the legs become softer and the vein walls more distensile due to the cyclical influence of the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone which fluctuate periodically throughout the menstrual cycle. [1] [2]
At The Leg Vein Doctor, we recommend that if women do have significant varicose veins prior to pregnancy then they should at least have a venous duplex ultrasound scan performed on their leg veins to determine whether or not there is underlying saphenous vein incompetence.
If there is significant underlying saphenous vein incompetence then we would make a recommendation for treatment as there will be a significantly increased risk of an accelerated progression of varicose veins with subsequent pregnancies. [3]
However should you have varicose veins that develop during your pregnancy do not be too concerned as they may spontaneously regress within a few months following your delivery. Please do not hesitate to contact us at The Leg Vein Doctor should you have any concerns during your pregnancy as an Ultrasound examination can provide an accurate baseline assessment if you do require treatment in the future. Also, during pregnancy many women find relief wearing compression stocks and stockings to give thier vein system extra support. We have a wide range of garments that can be measure and fitted at our clinic.
REFERENCES
McCausland, A.M., F. Holmes, and T. A.D., Venous distensibility during the Menstrual Cycle. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1963(86): p. 640-645.
Barwin, B.N. and J.C. Roddie, Venous distensibility during pregancy determined during the menstrual cycle Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1976(125): p. 921-923.
van der Stricht, J. and C. van Oppens, Should Varices be Treated Before or After Pregancy Phebol, 1991(44): p. 321-326.