Guard Against Varicose Veins During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, your body will go through many changes to accommodate the growing baby. You will gain weight to nourish and protect the baby. As you gain weight, your body will create more blood vessels to carry oxygenated blood to those areas. The additional weight can also create varicose veins. There are some ways to guard against this condition during your pregnancy.

Try to maintain a weight that your doctor recommends for your pregnancy. Some women like the idea of being able to gain as much weight as they want during this time. Gaining too much weight for your venous system and body type to handle can put undue stress on your legs. To avoid stressing your veins and creating varicose veins, try to keep to the recommended weight gain for your pregnancy.

Elevate your legs whenever possible. The additional volume of blood coursing through your arteries and veins can use the help of gravity. Standing too long can cause your vein’s valves to suffer, thus making blood pool within the veins. If you work on your feet, try to take breaks as often as possible and lift your legs up onto a chair. Not only will it feel good, it will relieve the pressure on your veins.

With your doctor’s permission, get into a pool for both low impact exercise and also for the buoyancy of the water. The pressure of the water on your legs will assist blood to flow up to the heart. You will also feel relief from the added weight from your body by floating in the water. Overall, swimming or simply being in water will help your pregnant body.

It is important to always check with your doctor about any concerns you have during your pregnancy. Leg swelling, varicose veins, leg pain, and any conditions that give you concern should be brought up to your doctor.

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