Varicose Veins During Pregnancy
Ugh. Those swollen veins are so annoying. Find out what to do if you get varicose veins during pregnancy and how to prevent them.
What are varicose veins?
Veins carry blood from your organs back to your heart, which means they're basically working against gravity. This ain't easy, especially in a pregnant lady. That’s because, thanks to your expanding uterus, increasing blood volume and changing hormones, your veins are under even more pressure than usual right now. And in the spots under the most pressure (usually your legs, but sometimes your rectum and vulva), blood can accumulate, which results in swollen -- varicose -- veins.
What are the signs of varicose veins?
You’ll notice veins are visibly dark purple or blue and are twisted and enlarged. Sometimes your legs might ache or feel heavy. Varicose veins may also cause your legs to swell and itch. The pain normally occurs if you’re sitting or standing for a long time -- so make sure you change positions often.
Are there any tests for varicose veins?
They’re recognizable by appearance. Sometimes your doctor may perform a duplex ultrasound to check the blood flow to your veins (to make sure you don’t have a blood clot).
How common are varicose veins?
They’re pretty common during pregnancy because of all that extra blood in your body and pressure on your veins.
How did I get varicose veins?
Blame it on the crazy changes in your body like increased blood flow and weight gain.
How will varicose veins affect my baby?
Luckily, they won’t affect baby, even though they’ll probably annoy you! But don’t worry -- they’re mostly harmless and tend to disappear three months to a year after delivery (see next page for treatments).
-- Paula Kashtan and Sarah Yang