Pregnant and Varicose Vein Blood Clots

First of all, you need to talk to your OB. My OB recommended I wear compression panty hose, not to be confused with regular panty hose. I wore them with my third pregnancy and now with my current pregnancy. I'm 38 weeks along and I have been wearing these compression panty hose from the beginning to prevent my veins from popping out. They come in different compressions, so many different brands, and believe me, I've tried MANY kinds until I landed on the pair I have now. They make my legs feel wonderful. Without them, my legs feel like heavy logs. And so far, none of my veins have popped out thus far.

My compression grade is 16-20. Talk to your OB about it A.S.A.P. A clot could be very serious. Also, varicose veins are painful so DO keep your legs elevated as much as possible.

Also, IF your doctor recommends compression panty hose, put them on before you even get out of bed. I keep my pair at the end of my bed and each morning before I even get up to use the bathroom, I put them on. The reason is to keep your blood from filling those veins up and plumping them before you have a chance to put the hose on. And beware, these type of hose are a challenge to put on...but very worth it in the long run.

Yes to everything TB said. In addition to putting on the pantyhose before getting out of bed, try to shower or bathe at night instead of in the morning. The heat of the shower causes your blood vessels to open and encourages swelling. If you shower at night, you're just going to get in bed and the blood will have a better chance to re-circulate. If you shower in the morning, once those vessels are opened and swollen, it's much harder for your heart to pump the blood up because of gravity, hence the extra swelling in your legs.

Also, many people confuse keeping their legs up off the floor with elevating them. Truly elevating your legs means keeping them higher than your heart -- not just stretched out while you're sitting on the couch.

Definetly talk to your OB first. Your OB may recommend a specialist. I got the varicose veins in my first pregnancy and they did not go away after the baby was born. They actually got worse and very painful. I ended up having to have them removed. The compression stockings do help alot and also try elevating your legs it will help the circulation.

You should see a doctor. The skin may also get red and look similar to a mosquito bite. Mine even itched. That means there's a little infection. It's not life-threatening like a blood clot in a deep vein, but it can become serious if nothing is done. It also may resolve on its own, your body may absorb it. I got those with my first pregnancy really bad and had to have surgery after the baby was born. Then I got pregnant again and got varicose veins all over again. Luckily that time they didn't clot, so I didn't have to have surgery, but my legs look like a mountain range : (

A.,

A potential blood clot can be a very dangerous thing and should definitely be checked out. I do not know, from a distance with your description alone, whether you have a clot, and there can be other reasons for what you are experiencing, but do not let this go. Please get it checked out as soon as possible. I think your first stop should be your OB or midwife, but you may want to let your regular doc know--if you have a primary care physician.

Other methods of working with this--that will not hurt and may help--are acupuncture and homeopathic hammemalis (witch hazel--which is also used in the liquid form from the drugstore as an external compress for varicose veins in general). Both can be very helpful to the circulation and your veins.

Here is what I found on a website about varicosities in pregnancy:
http://www.veindirectory.org/content/vaginal-varicose-vei...

"Do varicose veins develop clots?

Yes, but unlike the deep veins of the leg, the clots formed in the varicose veins rarely move to the lungs. The blood clots in varicose veins remain in one place and are often the cause of tenderness and itchiness. There is no need to take blood thinning medications when clots are found in the varicose veins."

So, according to this site, it doesn't sound like a very dangerous condition, but you still want to get looked at.

Fiora