Hellobee Boards

Are you wearing compression stockings? I am a physical therapist and would recommend at least 20-30mmHg thigh high compression stockings. Jobst, juzo and medi are good brands.
Brightlifedirect.com is a good website that has reasonable prices and free shipping

@LCTBQE: mine were so bad, like my nephews were like "what's that? Why are your legs purple?". They are completely gone now at 5 weeks postpartum. They started going away almost immediately after delivery. I did nothing, except whine that they were ugly. I planned to get them zapped, but they cured themselves

@LCTBQE: ha, set up is all relative! we've made a lot of progress. if the baby arrived tomorrow, it would be a scramble, but i think we could handle it (in stark contrast to, say, 2 weeks ago). but i still have a decent to-do list for the next couple weeks. these last couple months really snuck up!

also i totally agree--i had some of this problem the last time, and it mostly went away in between, but really worried given how bad it is now that it won't fully disappear once i'm not pregnant. if it doesn't i may get them zapped even before we're fully decided if we'll go for number 3

I have a family history of varicose veins and had ugly veins when I was 27 years old before having kids. I went to a vascular center and they did an ultrasound and determined that my veins were too large to do scleratherapy (injections that are surprisingly painful) so I had an outpatient procedure done called a microphlebectomy where they made tiny incisions and removed the dead veins. The doctor I saw tried to convince me that if I planned to be pregnant, new veins would come so I should just wait until I was done having kids. However, I hated feeling self conscious at age 27 so I went for it and was glad I did. The procedure took care of most of the veins and I had a few scleratherapy injections to take care of the rest. Flash forward 11 years and two kids later and I have varicose veins again on one of my legs. I'm still trying for a third kid so I'm waiting to get past that to deal with the veins again. Compression stockings help if you have discomfort but they won't make them go away. My veins were more uncomfortable during my second pregnancy (I think because of the increased blood flow?) and the symptoms subsided after I gave birth. I'll eventually have them removed again.

@LCTBQE: Yes to the compression stockings! They really should be the medical ones and where I live we get them fitted to our specific bodies. Not sure how that works in the US. But they make all the difference. All my female relatives (and some male ones) have problems with varicose veins and I am prone to them too. I started wearing the thigh high stockings (I preferred them over tights) at 8 weeks or so with all three pregnancies and it helped with prevention and it might the pressure in my legs so much better. Also kicking up my legs by the end of the day was just so important. So, I would assume that they wouldn't make your varicose veins go away but make the symptoms feel less severe.

@LCTBQE: Hi there! I’m resurrecting this old thread to see how everything turned out for you. I’ve got the same issues, varicose and spider veins in my leg and lady parts that are increasingly painful. I’m 27 weeks now and really struggling. I’ve been wearing compression socks for a while, which definitely help some, but haven’t helped the vulvar varicosities. I was googling some special compression wear for those and it looks absolutely awful. Did your spanx shorts continue to be helpful?

@LCTBQE: Thanks for the info! Yeah, right now it’s the lower half of my right leg that is all back and blue, plus the varicose veins in my upper thigh and vulva. And definitely painful I’m so glad to hear yours went away quickly. I saw a vascular surgeon who basically told me a lot of what you said. Compression helps the pain but there’s nothing to keep it from getting worse, and he expects I’ll need the surgery after I deliver. I think I’ll get some stockings and spanx. I really cannot bring myself to buy the special support garments they have....

@LCTBQE: But look at you now with your varicose vein free legs! I'm dreading going back but planning to make an appointment for the fall once I'm done birthing and nursing this baby.

@nwm: I will note that my easier experience was from before kids so coming home from the procedure meant putting my feet up and not worrying about anyone but myself.

@LCTBQE: My doc gave me headphones to listen to and I remember just laying on my belly and I could feel slight tugging but otherwise the local anesthesia prevented any significant discomfort. I do remember asking if they could put me under and being told that wasn't an option!