Ten Strange Pregnancy Symptoms
Pregnancy and varicose veins
During pregnancy, your veins have to contend with all the extra blood in your body as well as the weight of your growing uterus. This extra pressure can cause varicose veins to surface on your legs. Usually dark blue or purple, they can also be thick, bulging, hot and itchy. (FYI: Hemorrhoids are actually varicose veins in your rectum – also common during pregnancy.) Varicose veins improve three or four months after delivery, although they can stick around for longer, especially if you’ve had multiple pregnancies.
Solution
One more reason to exercise daily – a brisk walk improves circulation and reduces your risk of developing varicose veins. It also helps to put your feet up whenever you can and sleep on your left side (this keeps pressure off your inferior vena cava, the large vein carrying blood from your feet and legs back to your heart). Support hose or, if things are really bad, compression stockings, can prevent your veins from getting worse. Compression stockings are twice as thick as panty hose and are tighter at the feet and ankles to help prevent blood from pooling lower down.
