Pregnancy is one of the risk factors for varicose veins. The developing fetus and enlarging womb can apply a lot of pressure on the veins in the pelvis area, which in turn put pressure in the leg veins, leading to varicose veins and other vein conditions.
Generally, each pregnancy increases your risk for varicose veins, which means that older moms are more susceptible. In fact, studies show that 28% of women who have never had a vein issue in their family often suffer vein problems during pregnancy.
Although varicose veins are largely harmless, the associated pain, itchiness, burning sensation, and, discomfort can make pregnancy much harder for women.
Here are a few tips to help you prevent or minimize the appearance of varicose veins during pregnancy:
- Try to reduce the amount of time you spend on your feet. If your job requires you to stand for many hours, then you should get custom, full-length pregnancy compression stockings from your vein specialist in Ventura & Los Angeles.
- If you have a desk job, consider exercising your calf muscles to facilitate blood flow. With your foot flat on the ground, rock your foot from heel to toe multiple times. You can also do this exercise while standing.
- When resting, avoid crossing your legs as this could obstruct proper blood flow. Instead, keep your legs in a raised position or choose your left side when you lie.
- Do light exercise everyday, especially walking to improve circulation.
Avoid Any Permanent Treatments
Vein specialists don’t recommend any permanent solutions for varicose veins, like minimally invasive surgeries during pregnancy because the situation usually improves after giving birth. Moreover, the vein problem is likely to return on your subsequent pregnancies.
If your varicose veins are causing other problems, you should visit a vein specialist in Ventura & Los Angeles to discuss possible remedies during and after pregnancy.