Question:
I'm lucky to have had a very easy pregnancy so far, no morning sickness or anything. But I'm becoming distressed by the increasingly blue hue of my legs. Odd thing is I have big varicose veins only on the left leg, just a few pink spiderly things on the right. My doctor says they will "fade incredibly" after the birth. I've exercised, hoping this would slow things down, but it gets worse every month. I hate these support hose (In a Washington, D.C. summer they're like wearing chain mail.) Do they really disappear after birth, or can I expect to have to live with them?

Answer: -I have had varicose veins with all three of my pregnancies and have found that after the pregnancies they all but go away. While I have them, though, they are so bad that I must wear those awful support hose, the ones with rubber in them that are fitted by a specialist and cost about $100. When I take them off at night or to swim, my veins fill up with blood, bulge out and _hurt_. Yes, they are incredibly uncomfortable for summer pregnacnies, which I always seem to have, but I don't seem to have achoice. I have found a brand of crotchless hose, called Juzo, which at least mean I'm not suffering from recurrant yeast infections! Good luck with your legs! -Wiggle those ankles, and keep your feet up as much as possible - higher than your hips if possible, but even a box under your desk can help. Encourage the circulation in your legs and feet by walking around a little every hour or so, or with more ankle wiggling. Standing for long periods is to be avoided if possible. I can imagine that the veins recover a little after birth, when your heart isn't working so hard, but basically, once the valves in the veins have gone (this is what causes the bulbous varicose veins), they don't repair themselves. The pink things don't sound like varicose veins proper, so they might fade. -Someone in the natural health field told me that apple vinegar is good for varicose veins. apply it topically and two tablespoons to 8-10 ozs. water daily orally. he said it will help strengthen the shunt valves in the veins although it is a slow process. he recommended taking pictures of the veins every 2-3 months to observe the progress. smoking is very bad while doing it since it helps to break down the valves. i do not know anyone who has tried it but it might be worth trying. i have a friend who has just started this.