Varicose veins are referred to diseases that quickly become chronic. The disease causes changes in the length and diameter of the veins, the appearance of nodules, thinning of the venous walls. Quite often, varicose veins are manifested during pregnancy when a woman's body has significant strains due to hormonal changes.
Reasons for appearance
If we consider the causes of which varicose veins occur during pregnancy, there are several main causes:
- Weight change.During pregnancy, veins appear on the legs due to a weight gain of ten or more kg, leading to an increase in pressure and strain on the vessels;
- Hormonal changes in the body.During the formation of the fetus, a woman's hormonal background is repeatedly rebuilt, which damages the vessels - they lose elasticity, become fragile, are exposed to varicose veins;
During pregnancy, veins appear on the legs due to a weight gain of ten or more kg.
- During pregnancy, the work of the veins' valves changes as the volume of circulating blood increases. It should be noted that varicose veins after pregnancy, if left untreated, do not disappear anywhere; Hereditary factors. If one of the parents of a pregnant woman has varicose veins, there is a high chance of manifesting the same disease;
- Choosing the wrong clothes and shoes. Sometimes expectant mothers are surprised at where varicose veins came from, without thinking that tight clothing and high-heeled shoes can provoke it;
- Decreased physical activity. In the veins of the legs during pregnancy, blood stagnation can begin if the pregnant woman moves a little and does not do special exercises.
Some of the causes of varicose veins during pregnancy are easy to remove - just change your habits.
Symptoms and Signs
Varicose veins during pregnancy in the initial stages are difficult to detect as there are no pronounced symptoms.
However, it is worth contacting your doctor if the following symptoms are present:
- feeling of heaviness and pain in the legs
- edema, especially in the evening if you sit for a long time
- seizures, especially at night;
- redness or darkness of the skin
- the appearance of vascular networks
- seals on the skin, the appearance of trophic wounds
- Inflamed veins during pregnancy are easily palpable.
Types of varicose veins during pregnancy
Varicose veins during pregnancy can be of several types. The most common disease is:
- in the groin;
- on the legs
- in the vagina;
- in the uterus.
The manifestation of varicose veins in the small pelvis has symptoms similar to some gynecological diseases, so it is most difficult to diagnose. For each pregnancy, the risk of varicose veins on the labia also increases (the symptoms are most noticeable after physical exertion or intercourse).
Diagnostics
Varicose veins and pregnancy have a major impact on a woman's body and cause additional stress on many organs, so it is important to identify the disease at an early stage.To identify varicose veins in pregnant women, the method of duplex sonography is used today. This modern type of diagnostics has replaced the previously performed ultrasound angioscanning and Doppler mapping. Duplex sonography is performed within twenty minutes and provides detailed information about the condition of both deep and superficial veins.
In some cases, for further diagnostic purposes:
- Segmental doppler.A simple but reliable test that indicates the condition of the arteries and determines their openness and narrowing.
- BMR (magnetic resonance venography).If varicose veins are diagnosed during pregnancy, this examination allows you to assess the condition of the vessel without using contrast, it causes no harm to the body.
- Computed tomographic phlebography.It is performed using contrast, allowing you to assess the condition of the ships in great depth. If varicose veins have unclear symptoms, this type of examination is prescribed.
Disease Treatment Methods
Not all methods that can be used to treat varicose veins after pregnancy can be used during pregnancy. For example, during pregnancy, injections of certain drugs may not be used and surgery is not always possible. These restrictions also apply to women with varicose veins in their legs, but are planning a pregnancy within the next two years.
Surgical treatment
As mentioned earlier, varicose veins during pregnancy are dangerous due to limitations in treatment options. However, there are situations where drug treatment is not enough, then surgery is performed. For example, if severe thrombophlebitis is expressed or there are non-healing trophic ulcers.
In most cases, surgeries are performed at a gestational age of no more than six months, sclerotherapy or frequency ablation is used, and further surgeries are performed after pregnancy. In the postoperative period, the use of special underwear and therapeutic exercises is prescribed - these recommendations apply to the postpartum period.
Today, if severe varicose veins are detected during pregnancy, they practice the use of a laser for treatment instead of a scalpel. Modern technology allows you to quickly and safely defeat varicose veins.
Medicine
Doctors are well aware of the danger of varicose veins, so they recommend contacting specialists at the first manifestations of the disease. In such a situation, a course of venotonic drugs and drugs to normalize blood density is prescribed. There is also a large selection of special ointments and gels for external use, including those containing Gingko biloba. All drugs that affect the veins are serious, so they should only be taken according to the regimen recommended by your doctor.
Alternative Treatment
People have been dealing with the tandem "pregnancy and varicose veins" for a long time, therefore, in the past, and even today, such folk methods as lotions, tinctures, ointments, baths are very common in the treatment. Of course, if the disease is neglected, these techniques are considered exclusively as adjunctive therapy, but in the early stages, alternative treatment is quite effective.
Compress tinctures:
- Tincture from hops helps well to overcome in the initial stages of varicose veins during pregnancy. You need to take 1 tablespoon of cones, pour 200 ml of boiling water and store for 20 minutes. The solution is then drained and used for compaction. In the same way, infusions of flowers or leaves of horse chestnut are made. Such compresses can be applied at night and kept on the leg until morning.
- Veins are treated during pregnancy with a powder from peeled horse chestnut fruits: 50 grams of this powder is poured with 200 ml of vegetable oil and the legs are massaged with the resulting composition before bedtime;
- If early varicose veins are detected during pregnancy, scalded cabbage leaves are used for compresses, which relieve inflammation, pain, swelling.
Varicose veins during pregnancy on the legs are recommended to treat with trays with infusions of various medicinal herbs, the choice of which is wide enough in any pharmacy. Recommended when doing this:
- does not exceed the temperature of the solution in the bath above 38 degrees;
- take a bath for no more than 15 minutes
- after the procedure, do a relaxing massage;
- lie down at the end of the bath for 30-40 minutes with swollen legs.
Varicose veins in pregnant women are also treated with decoction of herbs taken orally:
- Prepare a decoction of meadow clover flowers: pour 1 tablespoon chopped flowers into a thermos and pour 400 ml of boiling water. After two hours, filter broth and take ½ cup 4 times a day;
- You can make a collection from the leaves of stallion foot, strawberry and cranberry, mother plant with five tiles as well as flowers of calendula officinalis and viburnum. The ingredients are mixed in equal parts, 2 tablespoons of the resulting mixture is poured with 400 ml of boiling water and stored for 15 minutes in a water bath. Then hold the assembly for 40 minutes in a warm place. Take ½ cup 4 times a day.
Disease prevention
Like all diseases, varicose veins on the legs must not only be treated, but also preventive measures must be taken to prevent the disease or prevent recurrence:
- It is not recommended to sit or stand for a long time. It is preferable to rest on the side to relieve stress from the veins in the legs and the small pelvis.
- To relieve stress on the veins in your legs, keep your legs swollen when lying down or sitting.
- To make your legs lighter during pregnancy, you should wear special compression tights. Such underwear helps redistribute blood through the veins, stimulates the blood in the veins in the legs and reduces the likelihood of blood clots. Compression stockings are recommended to wear not only during but also after pregnancy, for one and a half to two months.
Remember that varicose veins on the legs are less common in people who exercise and live a healthy lifestyle. Even light exercise helps maintain physical fitness and reduce the risk of developing varicose veins.