Why are women (especially during pregnancy) more prone to varicose veins?
It is true that varicose veins occur more often in women than in men, yet we need to be aware that men are also affected and should be treated. Statistics estimate that 31% of women and 17% men have varicose veins. Women are more prone to varicose veins for various reasons, including hormones and past pregnancies. As women gain weight for each pregnancy, it puts more stress on the body. In addition, relaxin is produced during pregnancy. This hormone does just what it says, it “relaxes” various muscles, with the primary purpose of stretching the joints around your pelvis to help accommodate delivery. However, relaxin also affects other parts of your body including the smooth muscles of your vein walls. This can cause the valves to not close properly during pregnancy, therefore allowing blood to flow back up (reflux) resulting in varicose veins. Fortunately, for some women, this is only temporary as it is the result of relaxed vein walls – not the result of truly damaged veins. After pre
