Safe Pregnancy Practices: Coping with Venous Diseases

How to help the expectant mother avoid venous disease?

The bloated belly shakes and suddenly a small sign appears: the baby clings persistently to the new, still unknown world to him. But his mother, it seems, doesn't notice that. She has been tired from all day and has just sat down, spreading her legs to relieve the feeling of heaviness, pain and burning she feels.

Approximately 15% of pregnant women¹ present with varicose veins, which mostly occur at the beginning of the second trimester. Unfortunately, the period of pregnancy do not only have happy moments. Many women, currently developing varicose veins, or if the problem of varicose veins had preoccupied them even before pregnancy, the unpleasant symptoms may intensify pain, a feeling of heavy legs, swollen legs. Clinical experience has shown that there is a link between the appearance of the first symptoms of venous disease and pregnancy.

Changes affecting the venous system during pregnancy

In the period of pregnancy, hormonal changes are made in the organism of the expectant mother, as a result of which the muscle tone of the venous walls decreases.

• Also, during pregnancy, the volume of circulating blood increases to almost three times.
• At the same time, the uterus grows, which puts pressure on the blood vessels of the pelvic floor, blocking venous flow.
• In addition, the additional weight due, for example, to multiple pregnancy, causes more pressure on the deep veins of the lower extremities.
• Some authors also note another predisposing factor, the significant decrease in the activity of pregnant women, since the longer their abdomen grows, the less willing future mothers are to move because they get tired quickly.

All this leads to the conclusion that the load of blood vessels increases, the pressure on the walls of the blood vessels intensifies, and the expectant mother develops venous disease.

How to treat venous disease in pregnancy ?

The first and most important rule: Don't take initiatives. Every pregnant woman knows that any drug can be used only after receiving medical advice.

A pregnancy always brings big changes. When the first symptoms of phlebitis occur (these include swelling, pain and feeling of heaviness in the legs, the appearance of broken veins in the epidermis, etc.), you should consult a specialist angiologist who will recommend the appropriate treatment and some small changes in your daily life that will help you relieve the symptoms.

In any case, pregnancy is the best period to take care of ourselves, because after childbirth all the forces are usually spent on the care of the baby.

Following the advice of experts, surely this period will remain forever etched in your memory for its joyful moments!