If you’re pregnant, congratulations! You have a lot to think about. You’re getting ready for the baby’s arrival but you’re also having to deal with proper nutrition, fatigue, aches, pains, and nausea. Unfortunately, many pregnant women also suffer from varicose and spider veins during their pregnancy. Pregnancy aggravates these venous disorders. Why? When pregnant, the volume of blood in a woman’s body increases, which places a greater stress on the blood vessels in the legs, pelvis, butt, and feet.

These venous disorders don’t compromise the future mom’s health, but they can be painful and unsightly, which adds to the list of other aches and pains a woman is already experiencing from being pregnant.  In this article, we share a few tips for pregnant woman to help ward off varicose veins and spider veins during pregnancy, and how to keep current vein disorders under control.

• Exercise – Take a few short walks throughout the day to improve circulation. Exercise will help decrease swelling in the veins. Bicycling, swimming, and yoga are also other great alternatives for exercise. Talk to your OB/GYN before starting new exercises so you know which and how much you should do; you don’t want to put too much strain on your body.
• Move – Pregnancy makes a woman tired. Rest is essential, but elevate your feet when you do rest. You want to keep the blood flowing as much as possible, so when you’re laying or sitting down, flex and point your feet often to help promote circulation.
• Wear compression stockings – Compression stockings encourage blood flow from the ankles back up throughout the body by putting pressure on certain parts of the legs. Remember to talk to your OB/GYN before wearing these garments.
• Wear loose fitting clothing that won’t restrict blood flow or aggravate current spider or varicose veins.
• Keep your fiber intake in a good range and drink a lot of water, so you avoid constipation. Constipation can lead to hemorrhoids, which are rectal varicose veins. Talk to your doctor about what how much fiber and water you should be consuming daily.

If you have varicose or spider veins during your pregnancy, your OB/GYN, may refer you to a vein specialist to keep an eye on your veins, and treat them when the pregnancy is over.  Typically, these venous issues will improve around 3 months after childbirth due to your hormone and blood levels normalizing. If they do not get better, make your doctor aware, and it will be time to discuss treatments to rid your body of these venous disorders so you will no longer feel pain or potentially develop blood clots.

Dr. Peter Mikhail is a vein specialist based in New Port Richey, Florida. He also treats patients in the Tampa and Clearwater areas. If you would like to book a consult, click here or call 727-312-4844.

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