Treatment usually can not be done while pregnant, but can be right after. Most of the time, once the baby comes and the extra weight and pressure is off, the pain is lessened which makes mom think they’re gone… until baby number 2 comes along. Or they get worse on their own.

Varicose veins are progressive so they will get worse over time if they aren’t treated. Removing them surgically (also known as stripping) is not a one-time-only procedure because varicose veins are a chronic problem plagued with new growth in many places in the leg. Repeated surgery is not a solution for a recurrent problem.

The smaller veins are usually treated with Sclerotherapy, which is a micro-injection procedure that doesn’t require surgery. But, the smaller varicose veins can be a sign of a larger problem. There’s also a procedure called Endovenous Laser Treatment (ELT) which is a quick, minimally invasive laser treatment. It closes the larger vein and the blood that was circulating through it is naturally re-routed to other healthy veins.

I’m not a doctor so I can’t give you any medical advice but you should look into doing something before they get more noticeable and painful. Depending on your insurance company and your location, it’s possible that your treatment could be covered by your insurance. The best way to find out is to schedule a consultation with one of the doctors. You can set that up by calling 877-304-8033.

It’s great to see your honesty about this subject because there are so many people going through the same thing. So, thank you.

I hope this helps–gotta stay healthy for the little ones!

Amber - it’s true, hey? We know all about the “will probably happen”s … it’s the “this happens randomly and you’ve probably never met someone who has experienced it”s that are he issue!!

I’ve had 2 kids and pregnant with my 3rd, so far my veins are fine.

Melodie - I don’t know how they’re inherited! My dad definitely suffers from varicose veins (as did his mom), but apparently my maternal grandmother developed varicose veins and clots during pregnancy. Not sure which side I got them from!! And while I’d heard that you could get them, I had no IDEA to the extent you could get them!! I hope my story will be helpful to everyone

Varicose veins run in my family although I wonder if they are only hereditary from one’s mother’s side because it’s my dad’s side who has them and so far I don’t. All my aunts and my dad’s mom have very bad varicose veins. I worried as a child my legs would look that way too. So far I only have a few spider veins. This was a really eye opening piece for me because I didn’t know pregnancy could give you varicose veins either. I always thought it was age and that I just needed to wait to hit 40 or something and they’d appear. Maybe it’s different for different people though.

Anyway. Thank you so much for participating in the carnival. I wish I could better relate at this point but more than anything I think you’ve taught a number of women who read this about the reality of varicose veins and maybe to mentally prepare themselves for the possibility.