We’d like to start this post by reassuring you that we can provide some temporary symptom relief during pregnancy if you’re suffering from varicose vein disease. While the ultimate goal of getting rid of your varicose veins may in many instances be left until after pregnancy, there are some simple measures we can begin immediately to provide some relief short term.
Varicose veins affect up to 15% of pregnancies and symptoms mostly occur at the beginning of the second trimester and gradually worsen as the baby grows. Age, gender and a family history of varicose veins increases one’s chances of developing them. The relative risk is also increased 4-fold in women over the age of 35.
If you are suffering from varicose veins, you may have already notice that your symptoms may get worse as the day goes on.
So what can you do?
One simple thing you can do is make sure that for every hour you spend on your feet, you rest for 15 minutes. At night the foot of your bed should be raised 10cm, allowing the blood from your feet to run downhill back towards your heart. You should raise the bed from under the mattress, avoiding putting your heels on a cushion.
We encourage gentle physical exercise, take yourself for a walk, practice yoga, go for a swim. Physical exercise gets the calf muscles pumping, which helps push the blood from the feet up to the heart.
We also recommend compression therapy with the use of compression stockings. Using compression stockings early in pregnancy can help reduce the symptoms further on.
To make a plan for your varicose veins please touch base with us, we customise all of our treatments to our patients and can assist with both a short term and long term treatment plan for your vein disease.
To make an appointment email us at [email protected]
