Do Progesterone Levels Pose A Risk For Varicose Veins In Women?
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In 2009, researchers at Rijeka University Hospital Center in Croatia published their results from a study that examined the relationship between varicose veins in pregnancy and woman’s level of progesterone in pregnancy. The aim of the study was to find out if pregnancy alone caused the development of varicose veins, or if a woman’s progesterone level during pregnancy also had an effect on whether or not she developed varicose veins.
Researchers found that pregnant women who had varicose veins had higher levels of progesterone in their blood than those women who were pregnant and did not have varicose veins. This leads us to the conclusion that although pregnancy has an effect on varicose veins, it is not the pregnancy alone, but the additional factor of a woman’s progesterone levels during pregnancy that primarily contributes to varicose veins. Because a woman’s progesterone levels are significantly higher during pregnancy than they are when she is not pregnant, it stands to reason that many women who didn’t have varicose veins prior to pregnancy suddenly develop them during pregnancy.
A separate study also looked at the effect of progesterone on the great saphenous veins, large leg veins that often become enlarged in men and women with smaller varicose veins and spider veins, and found that these veins have receptors for progesterone that make them more sensitive to the effects of hormone. Regardless of gender though, varicose veins can cause pain, discomfort and a feeling of fatigue and heaviness in the legs. Left untreated, varicose veins can cause much more serious problems.
At USA Vein Clinics our leading vascular specialists are highly specialists in minimally invasive and non-surgical treatment for varicose veins– Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT). The treatment takes 15 minutes and the patient can resume normal activities immediately after the treatment. If you are experiencing painful varicose veins, leg pain and cramps, heaviness and swelling in the legs and restless legs call (888) 7683467 to get in touch with our vascular specialists. All treatments at USA Vein Clinics are covered by Medicare and most other insurance plans.