VARICOSE VEINS IN PREGNANCY

RELIEF MEASURES AND NATURAL REMEDIES

      Varicose veins are enlarged often prominent , bluish and bulging vessels that have been stretched and weakened, such that blood accumulates in them rather than flows back to the heart; they can often result in dull aching, leg cramps and a sensation of heaviness.  These are caused by a combination of the hormones of pregnancy that relax the vessel walls and increase blood volume, the pressure of the growing uterus which impairs the return of venous blood to the heart from the lower body, an inherited weakness of veins and their valves, inactivity and poor leg muscle tone, obesity and prolonged periods of sitting or standing.  Here are some suggestions in dealing with this condition, but please keep in mind to consult with your provider before using any treatments or following any advice:

-         Avoid prolonged periods of standing, or sitting, especially with your legs crossed; if you need to be sitting for a long time take frequent breaks every hour to get up and walk around, rotate your feet, point and flex your toes; if you need to be standing,

-         Periodically rest with your legs elevated or lie down on your side at least for 1/2 hour twice a day.

-         Raise the end of your bed 6-8 inches with bricks or a block of wood, to create slight elevation and help drain your lower body of excess blood volume when you sleep.

-         Don’t sit on chairs that press into the backs of your thighs; make sure your feet can be flat on the floor, a stool or a book, with your thighs completely free while sitting.

-         Wear lose, rather than tight, clothing; avoid restrictive pants and knee highs that go part way up the leg and constrict the flow of blood back to the upper body.

-         EEach day apply maternity supportive elastic hose before getting out of bed in the morning and after elevating your legs a bit; ask your provider to give you a prescription for one that suits your needs – women with significant varicosities need to wear open-toed porous stockings which supply at least 30 mmHg and up to 50 mmHg of graduated pressure; start using them early in pregnancy before the problem worsens, and continue through 6 weeks postpartum; some stockings come with gloves to help put them on -- if not, a little cornstarch powder on the legs and dishwashing style latex gloves may help.

-         Wear low heeled comfortable shoes.

-         Rise slowly from a lying down or sitting position to reduce the possibility of feeling lightheaded on standing.

-         Avoid excessive weight gain and constipation, as this will aggravate varicosities, by eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, lean protein (like skinned chicken or turkey, fish, eggs, tofu, and low fat dairy), using olive or canola oil as your primary fat and drinking 8-10 glasses of water or herbal tea daily, and avoiding highly processed and refined white flour products, foods that are high in sugar, saturated or partially hydrogenated fat.

-         Exercise regularly for ½ hour 5 times per week – brisk walking, swimming and dancing are great ways  to develop healthy muscle tone in your legs and keep the blood circulating, in addition to helping you maintain a normal weight; inverted  yoga postures such as the headstand, plow and shoulder stand are also helpful in relieving pressure on the lower veins.

-         For varicose veins in the vulva (genital area): support them with a specialized supportive garment (available by prescription) or 2 sanitary pads held in place with a sanitary belt, take frequent rest periods to sit with your buttocks on a pillow and your hips elevated, or lie on your back and use the wall to elevate your legs and lower back, and wear cool packs in your underwear as tolerated.

-         Every day eat foods that nourish the circulatory system such as raw garlic and parsley, onions, wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, buckwheat, oats, beets, and okra.

-         Avoid strong spices such as cayenne, mustard, black pepper, hot sauces and curries, coffee (even decaffeinated), alcohol, smoking, and yellow or white sweet clover tea, as they can aggravate the problem.

-         Make sure you are taking a good prenatal vitamin supplement; in addition, each day take 600 IU of vitamin E until the seventh month, then taper to 400 IU, 500 mg. of vitamin C, 25 mg. of vitamin B6 three times per day, and after the first trimester, Rutin tablets as directed, to repair stressed vessels.

-         Drink at least one cup per day of strong tea containing Nettle leaf or Oakstraw, as these herbs are known to strengthen the vascular system.

-         Apply cool compresses soaked in Witch Hazel, Comfrey, Yarrow, Oak bark, and/or Mullein to help relieve aching and swelling, and tighten the distended veins.

-         If you are interested in herbs, take standardized extract of Horsechestnut known as Venistat or Aescin and use as directed on the bottle; it can be taken orally (250 – 312.5 mg. delayed release capsules per day or 100 mg. regular capsules per day, or 1 – 4 ml. three times daily in tincture form containing 16% -21% Aescin, or 0.6 ml. of a 1:10 tincture), or topically (apply 1 -2 % gel to varicose veins several times per day).

-         Consider consulting a professional homeopath or acupuncturist skilled in traditional Chinese medicine, especially if none of the above suggestions help and your problem is chronic.

      Please call your provider again if nothing seems to work, and call the emergency number if your leg has an area of hardness, heat, pain, redness, and/or swelling as this could indicate a clot formation.