I have varicose veins and my delivery date is 06/09/2016 so is there any risk of my life in this situation please help.
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Hello, varicose veins appearing in the legs is common in pregnancy. There reasons include 1. Increased fluid in the body because of the pregnancy, 2. Pressure from the large uterus on the pelvic veins 3. Hormones which cause the veins to relax. As you can see all these are due to the normal physiological process of pregnancy. They usually disappear after pregnancy within three months. Sometimes the varicose veins may cause pain in the legs. You can do the following to reduce the symptoms 1. Avoid sitting or standing in the same position for long periods of time. Make sure to take breaks to change your position. During awake hours walk for 5 minutes every hour. 2. Avoid wearing high heels. 3. Get regular exercise. Talk with your gynaecologist to confirm if it is safe for you to exercise during pregnancy. 4. Wear maternity support hosiery. These put pressure on the legs, stimulating blood flow up the leg towards the heart. However, avoid wearing tight hose that cut off circulation. 5. Avoid crossing your legs while sitting. 6. Elevate your legs periodically to improve circulation. 6. Sleep on your left side. This will help relieve pressure on the inferior vena cava. 7. Reduce salt intake. 8. Drink plenty of water and eat enough fiber to prevent constipation. There is usually no risk to life due to varicose veins. However another condition of the veins is there, which is very rare, and this is clots developing in the leg veins - this can be recognised by swelling of the legs, redness and severe pain, and can be diagnosed with colour doppler test. The clots in the vein can dislodge and go to the lungs and can cause a condition called pulmonary embolism which is very dangerous and life threatening. You can prevent this also with the points listed above. Regards,
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