Purple or blue, spider veins are typical during pregnancy and occur on your legs, ankles or face. They don’t usually cause discomfort, but they can make your legs feel achy or heavy.
How do you treat spider veins during pregnancy?
- Avoid sitting or standing in the same position for long periods of time. …
- Avoid wearing high heels. …
- Get regular exercise. …
- Wear maternity support hosiery. …
- Avoid crossing your legs while sitting.
- Elevate your legs periodically to improve circulation.
Can your veins hurt during pregnancy?
Varicose veins are a common, usually harmless part of pregnancy for some women. They happen when the uterus applies pressure to the large vein (the inferior vena cava) that carries blood back to the heart from your feet and legs. Varicose veins can become itchy, uncomfortable, or even painful.
Are spider veins common in pregnancy?
During pregnancy, women are at a greater risk for developing spider veins, because the increased volume of blood you’re carrying creates significant pressure on your blood vessels, causing even small veins to swell. Plus, your expanding uterus adds an extra dose of pressure on your veins.
Why do my veins hurt while pregnant?
The hormonal effects (high levels of estrogen and progesterone) impact the veins as the pregnancy progresses. Additionally, there are mechanical effects of having pressure on the veins in the pelvis from the uterus. This can lead to pain, ache or throbbing of the varicose veins.
Can you remove spider veins while pregnant?
Managing Symptoms of Varicose Veins During Pregnancy
Most often, surgery and minimally invasive procedures to treat varicose veins are avoided during pregnancy because there is usually too much risk.
How do I get rid of spider veins?
If you have symptoms or are concerned about the appearance of spider veins, treatment options include: Sclerotherapy. In this procedure, your doctor injects the veins with a solution that scars and closes those veins, causing the blood to reroute through healthier veins. In a few weeks, treated spider veins fade.
What does a thrombosed vein look like?
The skin over the vein becomes red, and the area feels warm and is very tender. Because blood in the vein is clotted, the vein feels like a hard cord under the skin, not soft like a normal or varicose vein. The vein may feel hard along its entire length.
When do veins start showing during pregnancy?
Bluish or purple veins often start to appear in the first trimester by about week 10, which is when your body has started producing more blood to support you and your growing baby. Your veins enlarge to accommodate the higher blood volume, and they’ll likely continue to become more visible throughout pregnancy.
Does massage help varicose veins?
Massage therapy is not an effective treatment for varicose veins for many reasons. From a medical standpoint, the underlying cause of varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency, is not alleviated by massage.
What do spider veins look like during pregnancy?
They usually look like squiggly lines and are most likely show up in your legs. Although less common, they can appear on your ankles, feet, and even vulva. Spider Veins Spider veins are small red or bluish veins that are typically on the legs but can appear on the face or elsewhere.
Why are my legs turning purple while pregnant?
Swelling of the feet, or edema, often occurs in the later stages of pregnancy. It is caused by slow circulation and water retention, and may turn the feet a light purple color.
Will spider veins go away?
Because they are usually just a cosmetic issue and do not typically cause pain, many wonder if spider veins will go away on their own without treatments. Spider veins will not go away on their own, and while they do not cause much of a problem, initially, they tend to get worse over time.
Should you ice varicose veins?
Ice is a natural anti-inflammatory. Use ice packs on your legs and feet or stick your feet in a bucket of ice water. The ice also reduces pain from varicose veins.
What to do for varicose veins that hurt?
- Elevate your legs. For immediate relief from the pain and discomfort associated with varicose veins, elevate your legs above your heart. …
- Exercise and stretch your legs. …
- Use cold water.
Can varicose veins burst?
If left untreated, varicose veins can increase in size. As they get larger, the walls of veins get thinner and something as simple as a solid bump can rupture them. Depending on the size of the varicose vein, the rupture can create what seems like a great deal of blood loss.