As you grow old, your veins may become inelastic, thereby causing them to stretch. The valves in your veins may weaken, thereby allowing blood to flow backward. The blood pools in your veins become bigger in size and turn varicose. The veins turn blue as they contain deoxygenated blood, which gets recirculated through the lungs. Pregnant women may develop varicose veins. Pregnancy increases blood volume in your body but decreases the blood flow from your legs to your pelvis. This change supports the fetus but it can cause side effects such as enlarged veins in your legs. Varicose veins may appear for the first time or may aggravate during late pregnancy when the uterus applies greater pressure on the veins in your legs. Hormonal changes during pregnancy may also be a factor. Varicose veins which develop during pregnancy usually improve without medical treatment 3 to 12 months post delivery.
Risk factors
The risk factors which increase your risk of developing varicose veins are as follows:
- Family history – If persons in your family had varicose veins, it’s likely that you will too get varicose veins.
- Age – The possibility of varicose veins increases with age. Aging produces wear and tear on the valves in your veins that assist in regulating blood flow. This causes the valves to allow blood to flow back into your veins and get collected there instead of flowing to your heart.
- Sex – Women are more prone to develop the condition. Hormonal changes during pre-menstruation, pregnancy or menopause may be an influence. Taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy may increase the risk of developing varicose veins.
- Standing or sitting for long periods – If you are in the same position for long periods your blood circulation may get affected.
- Obesity – Being overweight doesn’t help at all. It puts additional pressure on your veins.
Varicose veins – Health concerns
Varicose veins usually get worse over time. This is a fact even if you make the appropriate lifestyle changes to manage your pain and control them. While they may be unpleasant, they usually don’t result in any long-term medical problems. In a few cases, varicose veins can lead to blood clots, chronic inflammation or ulcers or sores on your legs. If you notice these symptoms you should see your doctor. They may suggest approaches such as surgery or others. Varicose veins and spider veins can cause discomfort in the legs. If you experience symptoms of spider veins, they will be burning or itching. Spider veins can be an indicator of blood back up deeper inside which you can’t see on the skin. Spider veins are rarely a serious health concern. Recent treatments for varicose veins and spider veins have high success rates compared to conventional surgical treatments. Over a period of time, more abnormal veins can develop as there is no cure for weak vein valves. Ultrasound is a method used to monitor the extent of leakage of the valves. Wearing gradient compression stockings as much as possible during the day will help slow down the development of new varicose veins.
