Vein Health and Pregnancy
May is the Month of Mothers, and here at Vein Institute, we want to extend the celebration to mothers-to-be. Pregnancy can be an exciting time, but it’s a journey accompanied by a multitude of changes. Even your blood volume increases by about 25% during pregnancy!
While your body needs increased blood volume to support your growing baby, it can increase your risk of developing varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Today, our team of experienced providers created this guide to help expectant mothers keep their veins as healthy as possible.
Vein Health and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know
Your blood volume increases throughout your pregnancy for a few reasons. Increased blood flow helps support the growing oxygen requirements, helps deliver nutrients to your placenta, and supports both mother and baby’s growth. Although vital, the increased blood volume can enlarge the size of your veins. This ーplus the weight of your growing baby on the blood vessels in your pelvis ー can increase the risk of varicose veins.
In addition to spider veins and varicose veins, many expectant mothers struggle with another vein-related condition during pregnancy: hemorrhoids. Progesterone is a pregnancy hormone that serves many purposes and keeps your uterus growing throughout pregnancy. Unfortunately, it can also relax your bowels, and sluggish bowels combined with the increased blood volume in your veins can cause hemorrhoids. Hard stool (the result of sluggish bowels) combined with extra straining puts too much pressure on the veins in your rectal area.
Expectant mothers may also deal with restless leg syndrome. You might feel aching, throbbing, and the intense need to move your legs.
In other words, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and restless leg syndrome are three common vein-related complaints during pregnancy.
Tips for Keeping Your Veins Healthy During Pregnancy
Although you can’t avoid varicose veins or hemorrhoids with 100% certainty, there are many strategies you can implement to reduce your risk of developing them.
Preventing varicose veins
The following tips can help support your vein health during pregnancy:
Exercise daily
Avoid sitting or standing for prolonged hours at a time
Avoid crossing your legs
Swap out high heels for shoes with a lower (or no) heel
Elevate your legs in the evening to help reduce any swelling
Wear maternity compression stockings (if instructed to do so)
A safety note about exercise: Before exercising during pregnancy, make sure your OBGYN has cleared you for exercise. Some pregnancy conditions, such as placenta previa, may make you ineligible for exercise. That being said, exercise during pregnancy doesn’t have to be vigorous. Even walking daily is wonderful for your entire body and mind.
Preventing hemorrhoids
The best tips for hemorrhoid prevention are:
Staying hydrated
Adding fiber-rich food to your diet, such as apples, bran, prunes, and celery
Avoiding straining when using the restroom
Walking daily (which also helps prevent varicose veins so this is a win-win!)
Elevating your feet on a stool when using the restroom
Using the restroom when you first feel the urge (postponing bathroom breaks can make the issues worse)
If you develop a hemorrhoid, you can find relief by soaking in an Epsom salt bath, using a sitz bath, or applying witch hazel pads to the affected area.
Preventing restless leg syndrome in pregnancy
Rising estrogen levels, low iron, and low folic acid can increase the risk of restless leg syndrome in pregnancy. Experts also have linked vein issues with restless leg syndrome as well. You can reduce your risk by managing any underlying vein conditions, taking prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid, and staying current with any prenatal lab work (which can monitor iron). The good news is that pregnancy-related restless syndrome often resolves after childbirth.
When to Seek Medical Intervention for Varicose Veins and Hemorrhoids
If you have symptoms of vascular issues ーvaricose veins, hemorrhoids, or restless leg syndrome ー don’t brush them off. Whether you’ve always had these issues (and pregnancy is exacerbating your symptoms) or you’re just now starting to spot the symptoms, our knowledgeable team is here to help. To schedule an appointment, call the nearest Vein Institute office or simply book your appointment online.
“I recently had a consult with Dr. Afshar and plan to move forward with getting some vein procedures done. He had come highly recommended to me and I can see why. He has a tremendous amount of experience and has a great bedside manner, putting me at ease immediately. His staff are also excellent - very friendly, responsive, and informative. The whole experience has been a very positive one so far and I feel confident moving forward with getting my procedures done next month. I really feel I am in good hands with Dr. Afshar and his wonderful staff.” - Janet E.