The Basics of Pelvic Varicose Veins

Typically when patients hear of varicose veins, they just assume that they are on the legs and feet, but did you now that a lot of people can get them on their pelvic region as well. The bizarre thing about pelvic varicose veins is that they may be asymptomatic and may show their symptoms in a variety of other ways. But what exactly are symptoms and what can you expect if you have this condition? Let’s take a closer look and see.

What Causes Pelvic Varicose veins?

Just like with regular varicose veins, pelvic varicose veins are caused when the vein walls weaken. This can be caused by a multiple things including:

Repeated Pregnancies
Obesity
Family History of This Disorder
Sedentary Lifestyle

What Are the Symptoms?

Even though men and women can get this disease, it’s more prevalent in women. Typically, women who are diagnosed with this disease experience a wide range of symptoms including:

Enlarged uterus
Thicker endometrium
Ovarian changes
Stress incontinence
Back pain
Vaginal discharge
Severe menstrual pain or dysmenorrhea
Abdominal bloating
Mood swings
Fatigue

How Is It diagnosed?

For some patients with pelvic varicose veins, the veins are visible which is easy to diagnose. For other patients, however, we will have to use a device like an ultrasound in order to diagnose them properly. Also, we will do a variety of other tests to rule out other things such as ovarian cancer.

How Is It Treated?

After a diagnosis, we can then start treatment. Typically, treatment includes a procedure called

Embolization, which is a minimally invasive procedure. This procedure can be done in two ways by either inserting a metal coil into the vein to block the blood flow or we can use a sclerosant solution to irritate the veins to stop blood flow.

The Basics of Pelvic Varicose Veins