Most people have heard or know about a disease such as varicose veins. However, not everyone knows that this pathological process affects not only the vessels of the legs, but can also affect the veins of the pelvic organs, which is especially important for women.
To counteract this disease, you first need to know what symptoms to look for. But it is also equally important to have an idea of what this type of varicose veins is, why it develops, and also what are the ways to deal with it.
The essence of pathology
Varicose veins are a pathology in which a number of pathological changes occur in the vessels, external or internal. First of all, we are talking about deformation, which means the expansion and lengthening of the veins, but in addition to this, there is a thinning of the vascular wall, as well as the development of insufficiency of the valve system. All these factors lead to impaired blood circulation in the vascular bed, as a result of which the blood stagnates, and the vessels themselves begin to collapse due to excessive pressure.
Pathology poses a minimal threat in the initial stages, but as it progresses, the risk increases exponentially, especially when it comes to varicose veins in the pelvic area.
In such situations, the outflow of blood from the pelvic organs is disturbed, first of all it threatens the functioning of the female genital organs, as well as impaired reproductive functions.
Due to stagnation in the pelvic veins affected by varicose veins, an excessive amount of blood accumulates, which comes from the external and internal genital organs of the pelvis. In this case, the blood does not “go away” well into the genital vein, a large magistral vessel. Due to stagnation, edema of internal organs and tissues occurs, an inflammatory process develops, and so on.
Provided that this form of varicose veins progresses, it is accompanied by strong and constant painful sensations, the development of various gynecological diseases, there is a real threat of infertility.
Causes of pelvic varicose veins in women
First of all, it is important to understand that varicose veins of the small pelvis are mainly affected by women who have reached puberty. The older the age, the higher the likelihood of developing this disease. If we draw an analogy, according to statistics, after 35 years, varicose veins are diagnosed with a probability of about 50%, while at the age of 20 this figure barely reaches 20%. Of course, predisposing factors play a very important role.
In general, the following reasons and factors for the development of varicose veins of the small pelvis can be distinguished:
- Genetics - congenital predisposition is one of the main causes of all types of varicose veins. This is not about the transmission of varicose veins itself, but about a congenital predisposition to the weakness of the valve system, which makes itself felt over the years. Dysplasia or thinning of the vascular walls is also a genetic factor.
- Very often, varicose veins develop as a result of severe hormonal disorders. This can be hormonal disruption during menopause or hormonal problems caused by prolonged use of potent hormonal drugs.
- Pregnancy is the reason why women are more likely to develop all forms of varicose veins, especially the small pelvis. This factor is multifaceted, it combines both hormonal changes and increased loads, because a growing fetus increases the pressure exerted on the organs and vessels of the pelvic region.
- Excessive exertion - with some probability, varicose veins of the small pelvis can develop if a woman is engaged in hard physical labor, exposes herself to grueling workouts, or simply spends a lot of time on her feet due to her professional activities (hairdressers, salesmen, surgeons, cooks). . . This can also include overweight, because obesity leads to a constant increase in the load on the legs and pelvis, and cholesterol affects the state of blood vessels.
- The medal also has a downside, an overly sedentary and sedentary lifestyle can also lead to varicose veins. The lack of the proper level of mobility provokes stagnant processes in the pelvic region.
- Intimate problems, mainly in relation to sex. This may be a long absence or systematic premature interruption of sexual intercourse, inability to achieve orgasm, and so on.
- Various diseases of the genital and intrapelvic organs.
- Pathologies of the cardiovascular system and blood clotting, such as thrombosis.
Clinical picture
As mentioned earlier, pelvic varicose veins are not a serious threat in the early stages of development. At the same time, this form of pathology is very difficult to detect, because the main symptom of varicose veins is enlarged veins, it is visible mainly on the legs, in the pelvic region, the vessels show through mainly at the later stages of development and not always.
Nevertheless, there are certain clinical signs of the disease and they intensify as varicose veins progress. Let's consider the clinical picture of pathology:
- Unpleasant and painful sensations in the lower abdomen. Initially, this symptom is unstable and vague, mild pains rarely bother, mainly with strong physical exertion during the day. The development of the disease leads to increased pain, they become intense, pulling in nature, can be constant.
- Painful sensations during menstruation should be noted separately. They appear with the approach of menstruation, the peak intensity usually falls on 1-2 days of menstruation. In this case, there may be a scarcity or, on the contrary, an excessive abundance of secretions.
- The development of varicose veins of the small pelvis is accompanied by pain and discomfort during intercourse. As before, soreness is initially insignificant, but intensifies as the disease progresses.
- The pathological process is accompanied by irregularities in the menstrual cycle, this is manifested not only in the scarcity or abundance of discharge, there are delays in menstruation or an increase in the duration of bleeding.
- Itching, burning sensation, swelling may appear in the vagina and on the external genitals. The external genital organs and mucous membranes can change color; in the later stages of development, cyanosis is present.
- In some cases, urination problems are noted, which manifests itself in the inability to completely empty the bladder, pain during urination, and sometimes even urinary incontinence.
- At the later stages of the progression of varicose veins in the perineal region, as well as on the external genital organs, veins appear. The vessels are lumpy, convoluted, often form vascular "stars".
- With severe development of varicose veins, uterine bleeding may begin, the risk of impaired reproductive functions and the development of infertility increases.
Conservative approach to treatment
For a complete treatment of varicose veins of the small pelvis, a woman must follow all the doctor's recommendations, as well as change her lifestyle. First of all, you need to pay attention to the loads, if they are too high, they need to be reduced, if the patient leads an excessively sedentary lifestyle, it is necessary to play sports, take walks more often, and so on.
Patients with varicose veins are strongly advised to adjust their diet, eat as little junk food (fried, smoked, sweet in large quantities, salty), alcohol, caffeine as possible. It is better to give preference to vegetables and fruits, fermented milk products, cereals.
Also, as a preventive measure for the progression of the disease and for therapeutic purposes, doctors prescribe the wearing of compression underwear for patients with varicose veins.
Drug therapy
Despite the importance of the recommendations described above, drug therapy is still the basis of conservative treatment.
It is important to understand that all medications, their dosage and duration of administration, are determined by the doctor.
Since the main goal is to normalize blood flow and maintain vascular health, the treatment is based on drugs of the following groups:
- Venotonics - are responsible for toning blood vessels.
- Anticoagulants - reduce blood viscosity and prevent blood clots.
Traditional medicine
Traditional methods of treatment are not so effective, but in combination with drug therapy, they can significantly improve the patient's condition and positively affect the treatment in general. Among the popular methods, the following are especially effective:
- Application of horse chestnut to create tinctures and special creams.
- Applying apple cider vinegar for varicose veins.
- Decoctions of chamomile or larch.
It is important to understand that for the treatment of varicose veins of the small pelvis, in traditional medicine, predominantly recipes are used in which medicinal decoctions and infusions are consumed orally. This is due to the fact that not every ointment, and even more so a compress, can be used in the pelvic area.
Operative methods of treatment
It is worth recognizing that conservative treatment methods give really visible results mainly in the initial stages of varicose veins. At the same time, the problem can be fundamentally solved and the disease can be completely eliminated only by surgery. In modern medicine, there are many variations of the surgical treatment of varicose veins, consider the most common and effective types of operations:
- Sclerotherapy- a special chemical composition is introduced into the lumen of the affected vein, which has sclerosing, that is, gluing properties. As a result, the vein is glued together, thereby excluded from the circulation and replaced by connective tissues.
- Laparoscopy- small punctures are made in the abdominal cavity, through which, with the help of surgical equipment, the ovarian vein is ligated for the purpose of its further excision.
- Endovascular surgery- the surgeon gets to the affected vessels through the femoral vein, after which, using special equipment, the ovarian vein is embolized.