Varicose Veins Pregnancy– Understanding Its Cause

During pregnancy a woman’s body produces the pregnancy hormone, progesterone which causes walls of veins to relax. Varicose veins pregnancy starts when congestion occurs when the walls of veins start to relax causing blood to pool in certain veins or portions of veins. As the blood pools in these areas, veins then start to bulge and appear knotty.  These bulging knotty blue veins are called varicose veins.

Although often found in the legs, varicose veins may also develop in the arms, the anus and opening of the vagina.  Varicose veins pregnancy might not bring major discomforts during the early stages of pregnancy but as pregnancy progresses these varicose veins may cause some discomforts and pain.  Usually a pregnant woman would just experience persistent but dull pain in the area where the varicose veins are.  During the middle till late stages of pregnancy, however, varicose veins pregnancy might get worse as the weight of the growing baby in the womb puts pressure on the veins in the pelvic area and on the large veins that carry blood from the legs and abdomen back to the heart. The likelihood of having varicose veins pregnancy is greater for a woman whose mother had varicose veins pregnancy since this condition seems to run in families and seems to get worse during succeeding pregnancies.

Including certain foods in the pregnant woman’s diet can help ease discomforts and  prevent varicose veins pregnancy from worsening .  Drinking juices from berries like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries is recommended for the pigment in these berries help strengthen the walls of veins.  Garlic, which contains allicin, tones blood vessels and would therefore help alleviate the condition of the bulging veins.  Eating vitamin E rich foods like sunflower seeds and wheat germ is also recommended since studies have linked the occurrence of varicose veins to vitamin E deficiency. Pregnant women are also advised to avoid drinking caffeine rich beverages like cola, tea or coffee, which were observed to make varicose veins more painful.