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\f0\fs24 \cf0 Recently I met Lucy who during pregnancy developed very uncomfortable varicose
veins. She asked me whether she could have her veins treated whilst she was still pregnant.
Well, I'm going to tell you my answer and the reasons for my decision. Most vascular
specialists will not treat varicose veins during pregnancy and there are 4 really good
reasons why this is the case. The 1st reason for not treating varicose veins during pregnancy
is that the risks of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are increased during
pregnancy. Doing a vein procedure during pregnancy adds to that risk and although these complications
are low in non-pregnant women they are more frequent in pregnant women. We don't know
the precise figures for this complication rate but for this reason it is very unwise
to treat women during pregnancy. The 2nd reason for not treating varicose veins during pregnancy
is that they tend to regress and get better of their own accord once the baby has been
delivered. After delivery the varicose veins are much smaller and they are much easier
to treat. So most vascular surgeons would wait until you've had your baby before treating
your veins as the treatment is going to be less extensive. The 3rd reason for not treating
varicose veins during pregnancy is that during pregnancy there are a number of hormonal changes
that increase the vascularity of the legs and promote a process called neovascularisation.
Any vein treatment can be complicated by the appearance of new thread veins and this risk
is increased during pregnancy. So treating veins during pregnancy runs the risk of causing
more and extensive thread veins on the legs which may be quite unsightly. The 4th and
last reason for not treating veins during pregnancy is that there is of course a risk
to the baby. All doctors like to avoid injecting chemicals or drugs into the mother during
pregnancy as it may be a risk to the developing baby. Now there is no evidence that local
anaesthetics radiofrequency ablation or laser treatment cause any problems to the developing
baby but it is a risk that most mothers would not wish to run. Recently I met Lucy and she
developed some very uncomfortable and unsightly veins at the back of right knee during pregnancy.
They were extending up the back of her right thigh and were coming from some nasty vulval
varicose veins in her groin. They were so uncomfortable that she pleaded with me to
have them treated during pregnancy. When I explained to her the reasons for not doing
so she managed during the pregnancy with compression hosiery watching her weight eating a good
diet with lots of fibre avoiding standing for long periods and avoiding constipation
and straining. Once she had her baby I was able to treat her successfully and her veins
have never recurred since. Thank you for watching this video. Please do subscribe by clicking
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