I remember when I learned I was pregnant for the first time. Feelings of excitement and joy quickly turned to anxiety and dread as I started reading books and internet articles telling me what I could expect in the months to come. There were endless mentions of the more common “side effects” of growing a human in your abdomen – fatigue, nausea, aches, growing feet, acne, stretch marks, hemorrhoids – the list just kept getting better and better!
I was shocked when I was gifted with an unexpected symptom I’d never heard of before. A varicose vein… down THERE!
Towards the end of my second trimester I started feeling like something was amiss. It felt like an achy pressure in my lady bits – but I chalked it up to the basketball-sized balloon of fluid and baby sitting just above. But the feeling persisted and started becoming more painful every time I put on underwear (which admittedly I started trying to avoid.) It felt like a sharp twinge in my labia – I thought it could be an ingrown hair or oddly located zit. Finally, I decided to grab a mirror and see what the heck was going on down there. I freaked when I saw what looked like a black bulge on my labia! “WHAT IS THAT!?!?” was all I could think as I dropped the mirror and grabbed the phone for the soonest possible appointment with my OB.
Fortunately, my doctor was able to ease my panic. As it turned out, the new visitor on my vajajay was a “vulvar varicosity” – in other words, a varicose vein! As baby starts to put more pressure on the veins in the vaginal area it can cause veins to bulge which leads to this fun but surprisingly common complication of pregnancy.
The good news – a vulvar varicosity is not an emergency and does not interfere with a normal vaginal birth. And most resolve on their own within a few weeks after childbirth. The bad news – sometimes they don’t resolve and will require treatment. Back to good news – if you do require treatment, it is quick and virtually painless if you go to the right doctor. Most people know that varicose veins in the legs and face are treatable, but even my OB didn’t know where to send me when my special vein decided to stick around. So I took to the internet once again and found Dr. Hoyle of Advanced Vein Center.
Dr. Hoyle is the most experienced doctor in all of Southern California in the treatment of varicose and spider veins – ALL OVER the body! He’s been in the business for over 20 years and actually pioneered some of the most popular treatments used today. He treats all patients in his office – meaning no expensive hospital bills – and all the treatments are virtually painless with no downtime. So don’t fret – you’ll be back up running around after those kiddos the next day!
MOMS Network Members get 30% off the consultation – give them a call!
Advanced Vein Center: Dr. Bruce Hoyle, MD
Address: 1120 W. La Veta Ave, Suite 830 Orange, CA 92868
(714)955-5960
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