Vulvar varicosities?

[crunchymama2-3]

Hi mamas. I'm 33 weeks PG with baby#4 & have terrible vulvar varicosities.I've never had these before & in fact had never even heard of them until about a week ago.My midwife has me taking a herb & some extra vitamin E & C.I've only been taking them for 4 days so I know I haven't given it enough time to see if it will work, but my problem is getting worse by the day.They were so bad today & when I looked from behind I noticed my perineum was also really lumpy & swollen along with my huge, firm lumpy labia Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has had these & what did you do that helped? Did you have complications giving birth due to the size of your varicosities/swollen perineum? I'm nervous about giving birth now because of this problem.What if I tear with my perineum being so swollen already? (I tore with all 3 of my other babies so I'm assuming I will again this time) Thanks for any advice anyone can give me.

Andrea

[StacyL]

I had them in my second pg on my left side. It totally freaked me out!

It did not interfere in any way with giving birth (I had a 10 lb. 2 oz. baby at home!) and my MW was not at all concerned and said it would go away 2-3 months after giving birth.

Well, it actually went away about 2 weeks after giving birth. I was ecstatic! They do look really yucky.

[luvmygrrls]

I had them with both of my previous term pregnancies on my right side. Didn't appear until around 37 weeks with my 1st pregnancy. It hurt but didn't cause any complications. They do make support garments that look a bit like some weird S&M rig only in granny white - there are a couple I remember one was called the "prenatal cradle" and there are a couple others. I tried one of the lower key ones - but didn't find that it helped much. If you do a google search you'll come up with stuff. Some women take a couple of the gigantic thick maxi pads (not the thin ones) and place in their underwear and that kind of supports your perineum and can help with the discomfort and swelling. I am a L&D RN - and was working full time with my first right up until I went into labor at 41 and a half weeks so I wore the pregnancy medical compression hose to prevent any more varicosities in my legs. They were hot and they were slippery so sometimes I had a hard time keep my scrub pants up - but they made my legs feel better and I never got varicosities in my legs. AFter both of my births the vein went away within a couple days however I got it much earlier into my second girl - I think around 14 weeks or so. I didn't wear the compression hose while working as much with this pregnancy as she was born in July and I just couldn't stand the heat much after May - plus I was working part time so it wasn't as bad. Good luck. Isn't being a mom glamorous!!!! They didn't interfere with either birth - just made my midwife cringe a little when she saw them.

--Kinsey

[mwherbs]

you can wear a pad that has some witch hazel soaked into it-- you could even use the frozen like the post partum pads---
you can also use a pelvic support belt or a combo belt that has some support for the vaginal area- compression will help to bring down swelling
an inexpensive way to accomplish compression is to take the large pads 1-2 that are soaked in the witch hazel and then put on some lycra bike shorts--
if you have a pool available to you I would suggest swimming - it will support the baby weight and that will help to reduce the pelvic congestion

[Amari's Mama]

I just got my first one... and posted about it in my DDC. This is one pregnancy symptom that I would have definitely lived happily without.

I got lots of advice from around the web in general... and here's what I tried and has helped me...

Frozen comfrey compresses (I had just made some for postpartum perineal healing). Bring 2 qts water to a boil, and then remove from heat. Place ~1 ounce dried comfrey leaves in the water, cover, and let sit 4-5 hours or overnight. Pour onto a mama pad (or a non-chlorine/non-gel disposable pad), and then freeze. Lay down on left side and "layer"... washcloth next to your skin, frozen compress, towel or other absorbent material. Stay laying down until it is no longer cold.

Homeopathic pulsatilla nigricans.

Witch hazel.

Increase consumption of onions & garlic.

Hope this helps!!

[pamamidwife]

and definitely put your bum in the air with your head on your bed a few times a day (getting the pressure/weight of the baby off your pelvic floor) and kegel, kegel, kegel!

Homeopathic sepia is supposed to work wonders.

[Shell_Ell]

I have had them with both of my pregnancies, but this time it's far worse. My midwife actually showed me a belt you can wear to help with them, but it was like $50 or something and I had to buy it online. So I did a bit more research and found two things I was willing to try: pelvic rock exercises (which I was doing anyway) and nettle tea (which I was drinking anyway)

They have improved tremendously in the past week or so, and it was when I upped the amount of nettles in my RRL tea. It's worth a shot!

ETA: I do the infusion... so I pour boiling water over loose tea in a canning jar and let it steep for an hour or two. I think this is probably different than drinking the bagged tea.

[ani'smommy]

I think this must be what I have, too. They don't hurt at all, though, just feel kind of weird. I had a small one with DD's pregnancy, too, and it went away after labor. I wasn't even going to mention it to my midwife because they don't really bother me.

[GinaRae]

There's some great info in Aviva Jill Romm's book THE NATURAL PREGNANCY BOOK. Check that out. Lots of herbal, diet and external treatments.

SO SORRY you're dealing with this!!!

[mezzaluna]

Originally Posted by pamamidwife

and definitely put your bum in the air with your head on your bed a few times a day (getting the pressure/weight of the baby off your pelvic floor) and kegel, kegel, kegel!

i was going to recommend inversions, too - my prenatal yoga instructors keeps saying inversions are great for any kind of varicosities. i had a small one on the side of one knee that has diminished since i started doing inversions even just once a week in class. (and since i stopped being a doof and sitting cross legged for hours on end at my computer!)

what i do is lie down with my rear end against a wall and legs up the wall. i have a folded blanket under my hips that's folded up a bit on the right so my pelvis is slightly tilted and uterus doesn't compress my vena cava while i'm relaxing with legs up the wall.

[Doula Gina]

Weird home remedy here--

sit on shredded potatoes.

let me know if it works - I have heard good things, but only secondhand.

[crunchymama2-3]

Thankyou all so much for the advice & different suggestions..

So far I'm still taking the herbs & vitamins & finally bought some witch hazel, so I'm sitting here right now with a pad on soaked in witch hazel.I also ordered the prenatal cradle V2 supporter so I'm hoping that will help when I'm on my feet for long periods of time.I will be trying some of the other suggestions too.

Doula Gina, I'll be sure to let you know if the potatoes work.Do they have to be shredded? Or can I just cut a slice & stick it in my underwear like a pad?

Thanks everyone! I'm hoping something will eventually help.

Andrea

[Doula Gina]

Originally Posted by crunchymama2-3

Doula Gina, I'll be sure to let you know if the potatoes work.Do they have to be shredded? Or can I just cut a slice & stick it in my underwear like a pad?


Andrea

I've only heard shredded. I think the surface area makes an impact

[bhawkins]

Wow! Helpful ideas here. I hae also had them with each pregnancy and they have not interfered with birthing at all. They've only served as a huge nusiance and are very disgusting looking. I'll have to try some of these suggestions, as I've already gotten them again and I'm only 19 wks.

[homebirthing]

I would be drinking nettles with RRL tea. The nettles are a vein builder and can really help a lot! Throw in some peppermint or spearmint if needed.