Problems during pregnancy

Vaginal Varicose Veins During Pregnancy: Causes And Treatment

 
Nidhi Nangia
By Nidhi Nangia. May 8, 2017
Vaginal Varicose Veins During Pregnancy: Causes And Treatment

Varicose veins are blue or purple, bulging veins that you can see under the skin surface. Even if you don’t have them, you must have seen them on someone else’s legs. They most commonly occur in the lower extremities, and women are more likely to have them in men. Although they commonly occur in legs, they can appear in almost any part of your body, including your face or vulva. As the blood volume increases and the speed of blood flow decreases during pregnancy, this is the perfect time for vaginal varicose veins to appear. Read this oneHOWTO article to find out more about vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy.

You may also be interested in: Signs and Symptoms of an Ectopic Pregnancy

Contents

  1. Causes of vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy
  2. Treatment options for vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy
  3. Prevent varicose veins during pregnancy

Causes of vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time when a woman’s body goes through a myriad of physical changes. According to a survey, around 10% of pregnant women develop vaginal varicose veins, particularly during the middle of the 2nd trimester. They can appear as blue enlarged blood vessels on labia minora or the majora. There can be various reasons for vaginal varicose veins to occur during pregnancy. Some of the main causes are:

  1. During pregnancy, the weight of the uterus increases significantly. This applies immense pressure to the delicate veins in the woman’s pelvic regions, thus causing them to swell and bulge. Varicose veins in this area are bulging and stretched, but they are often not tender to touch.
  2. The progesterone and estrogen hormonal levels in a woman's body also increase a lot during pregnancy, due to the which the blood vessels within the walls of the veins tend to relax, and they are forced to bulge out of the skin surface.
  3. Heredity is another cause of vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy.

Treatment options for vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy

Vaginal varicose veins are harmless, and are often not painful or itching. But there are several treatment options that you can try to get rid of them:

Pelvic floor exercises

These exercises can increase circulation of blood to your pelvic bowel, thus strengthening your pelvic area to support your musculature and lift off pressure from your varicose veins. Try hypopressive exercises for pregnant women to strengthen the area.

Homeopathy treatment

There are homeopathic medicines that can be used for treating vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy. Homeopathic medicines should be taken until the symptoms subside, and then their dosage is reduced as the symptoms cease. Certain homeopathic medicines can be helpful even if your varicose veins are tender and painful, and the positive effects can be seen within 2 weeks of starting the treatment.

The most common remedies are Arnica, pilsatilla and calc fluor, though you should consult with your doctor before using this type of remedy.

Low Molecular heparin

A prophylactic dosage for vulvar thromboses may be prescribed by a doctor for a short duration if you're in your second or third trimester. This will not only help with the deeper veins but will also work as an analgesic for 24 to 48 hours, thus relieving the pain.

Yoga

There are certain yoga poses that can be helpful in relieving vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy. Do the Viparita Karani pose by touching your legs up to the wall, keeping your hips close to the wall, stretching your arms to the sides, keeping your palms facing up, and breathing gradually. Prasarita Padottanasana pose is also helpful to relieve your veins. To do this pose, stand with your feet shoulder length apart, toes inwards, inhale, raise up your arms, exhale, fold your hips to fold forward, slightly bend the knees, and rotate your inner thighs out.

Chiropractic care

Chiropractic care can help your muscles, bones and nerves to function properly within your pelvic bowel. It will balance your pelvic bones, enhance proper functioning of the nerves, and help your body balance your growing uterus.

Witch hazel compress

Soak natural pads in some witch hazel and place them in the freezer. You can also wrap one individually and place it in your underwear to get instant relief from pain or irritation. You can make hazel compresses with cotton pads, and apply for 15 minutes twice a day.

Acupuncture

There are some very strong points that you can press to alleviate the heaviness and pain related to vaginal varicose veins. Applying pressure on these points will increase blood circulation in your vaginal region, and also help in strengthening your blood vessels after delivery.

Vaginal Varicose Veins During Pregnancy: Causes And Treatment - Treatment options for vaginal varicose veins during pregnancy

Prevent varicose veins during pregnancy

If you are pregnant and concerned you will develop vaginal varicose veins, there are certain ways that will help you avoid this issue during pregnancy:

  • Compression tights or shorts will give support to the area and control the blood flow effectively so it doesn't clot and varicose veins don't form.
  • Avoid being overweight. Although a pregnant woman is bound to gain weight for obvious reasons, it is known that women who are overweight during pregnancy will often develop varicose veins in the area.
  • Avoid foods that cause constipation: It is shown that having constipation will create more pressure in the pelvic reason and thus obstruct circulation in the area.
  • To strengthen your vaginal vessel wall, it is important to eat fruit that has a high content in rutin, such as blackberries, bilberries, raspberries ...

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to Vaginal Varicose Veins During Pregnancy: Causes And Treatment, we recommend you visit our Family health category.

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