Myths About Varicose Veins - "Pregnancy causes varicose veins"
Pregnancy has been blamed for causing varicose veins for years
This myth sprang up due to the simple observation that some women don't seem to have varicose veins before they get pregnant - but then the veins appear during or after their pregnancy.
However, although this simple observation appears to make sense, there are several facts and some research to show that this is wrong and to show what actually happens:
- If pregnancy caused varicose veins, then more women would have varicose veins than men - but this is not what is found when research is done (see previous myth - "women get varicose veins more than men")
- Also, if pregnancy caused varicose veins, we would find more varicose veins amongst women during their child bearing years - but we don't see this
- Research done in Chester has shown that only women who have have venous reflux (i.e: who have lost the valves in their veins) before getting pregnant go on to get varicose veins in or after pregnancy. (The importance of these valves is discussed later in this site).
- In other words, pregnancy does not cause varicose veins, but if you have the underlying valve problem, you will be getting varicose veins or venous disease later in your life. As women increase their blood volume by 40% during pregnancy, and they also have the hormones of pregnancy that allow tissues to stretch, these underlying varicose veins that are already there may become more visible during pregnancy. However, they would have come sooner or later anyway, even if the woman didn't get pregnant.
This is true for 98% of all women - HOWEVER - there is a special group of patients who DO get varicose veins because of pregnancy.
This happens in group of women who have Pelvic Congestion Syndrome and who then go on to have a baby by normal vaginal delivery. In these women, the pelvic congestion syndrome is due to "ovarian" or "pelvic" vein reflux causing a pelvic varicocele (varicose veins in the pelvis) and typically causes Varicose Veins of the vulva or vagina, or varicose veins of the upper inner thigh or spreading over the backs of the legs at the top of the thigh (see www.vulval-varicose-veins.co.uk).
