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As if acne wasn’t troublesome enough, enter varicose veins.
Another new addition to your pregnancy beauty repertoire. Even
if you’ve never had those ropy-looking enlarged veins on your
legs before, pregnancy is a prime time for them to appear. So why
have your legs transformed into your grandma’s all of a sudden?
There are a bunch of reasons why pregnancy is the perfect storm
for varicose veins. Increased blood volume puts extra pressure on
your blood vessels, a higher level of the hormone progesterone in
your body can cause the veins to dilate or open, and an enlarged
uterus can create a roadblock for blood flow from your legs to
your heart.
While the most common area for varicose veins is indeed the legs,
you might be in for a surprise down there. During pregnancy, your
vulva area is susceptible to varicose veins too, so don’t freak out
if all of sudden your vagina doesn’t look like itself anymore. The
varicose veins in this area can be small and barely detectable
or large and bulging. They can definitely cause discomfort,
especially when sitting down. The good news is there are some
ways to help prevent and treat them during pregnancy.
If all else fails, take heart in knowing that your varicose veins
are generally harmless (although they don’t look too attractive)
and will likely disappear within the first year after giving birth,
once the extra blood pressure decreases. If not, you can always
take yourself off to the dermatologist or your doctor for in-office
options, such as sclerotherapy, which involves injecting a solution
into the veins to collapse them.
What can I do about varicose veins?
The best preventative measures to take against varicose
veins include:
•
Wearing compression stockings to stimulate blood flow up your
legs and towards the heart. Make sure you buy stockings that
specifically say “compression” or “pregnancy-safe.”
•
Getting daily exercise.
•
Keeping your legs elevated.
•
Not gaining too much weight.
•
Cutting down on your sodium intake in your diet.
•
Not crossing your legs whilst sitting.
•
Avoid standing or sitting in the same position for too long. If
you’re sitting at a desk all day long, make sure to take breaks
and stretch out your legs.
•
Wearing flats or trainers instead of high heels to improve
circulation. Might as well start incorporating comfy shoes into
your wardrobe now anyway, as pushing a pram in stilettos is not
going to happen.
•
Sleeping or laying on your left side.