Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy
Latest posts by Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy (see all)
- Dear Judgy Mothers on My Website… - June 15, 2013
- 10 Skills Every Mother Should Possess - June 10, 2013
- Perfection (Or pretty close) - June 3, 2013
Katy was called the “Experienced” Bad Mom after she had her second child. That’s because everything she did wrong with her first child, she did wrong with her second child as well! She embraces her imperfections and invites you to laugh at them at ExperiencedBadMom.com. You can also find her on Twitter (@ExperBadMom) and Facebook.
I was in my second trimester when I could bear the discomfort no longer. “I’m feeling a lot of pressure,” I told my midwife at my appointment. “You know,” I said dramatically, “Down There.”
“Down there?” my midwife repeated. “You mean your perineum?”
I nodded. “It feels like down there might fall out! There’s so much pressure and everything’s swollen. That whole area could easily relocate to my knees.”
“It sounds like you have vulvar varicosities,” she replied matter-of-factly.
Huh.
Wait.
Did she say vulvar? The latent 13-year-old girl inside of me screamed, “Eww!”
Lucky me. I had varicose veins in my vulva. My midwife explained the varicosities were caused by extra blood flow Down There as well as the pressure my growing uterus was putting on the area. Having varicose veins in my vulva was much like having hemorrhoids. It was the same thing, just one block over.
Unfortunately, there was no cure for vulvar varicosities. For temporary relief, my midwife suggested a vulvar supporter, thick elastic bands which I would wear over my panties to lift and support my perineum. I ordered one from a medical store online. (There was no way I was buying that thing in person.) It looked like a modified jock strap with a touch of lace to indicate which side to wear to the front. I stepped into it, trying in vain (ha ha) to see the supporter below my expanding baby bump.
Across the room my husband mumbled, “Sexy.”
I shot him a look that translated to “If you ever want to have sex again, you will shut up NOW.”
Wearing the supporter brought me physical relief, but I was an emotional mess over my predicament. I didn’t like having varicose veins in my vulva. What was I supposed to say when anyone asked how my pregnancy was going? “My vulvar varicosities are really uncomfortable today, but thank goodness for my vulvar supporter. What’s new with you?”
It turns out my midwife had suffered from vulvar varicosities during her pregnancy. She could relate to my discomfort and embarrassment. She assured me I was not alone and that other pregnant women were suffering, too.
What other women? Besides me and my midwife, I knew no one with this problem. Pregnant women could discuss nausea and cravings as if they were badges of honor, yet no one talked about vulvar varicosities. Did Angelina Jolie suffer from vulvar varicosities? Beyoncé? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? I lumbered around in silence with thick elastic bands between my legs for the rest of my pregnancy.
After my daughter was born, the pressure subsided. My veins returned to their pre-pregnancy state by my 6-week postpartum checkup. The supporter soon became a distant memory.
Except sometimes I might ask a pregnant woman how she’s doing. The reply is usually “Fine” or “Ugh, morning sickness.” I wonder, though, if maybe, just maybe she’s suffering from vulvar varicosities. I want to offer her support—or at least tell her where to buy a supporter.
{ 91 comments… read them below or add one }
THAT I haven’t heard of. So thanks for sharing. In case it ever comes up in conversation, I can say “oh, I know what that is!”
The things our bodies do to reproduce.
Mom Off Meth recently posted..Second Sober Summer
“The things our bodies do to reproduce”—some crazy stuff for sure!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
Oh I am sorry to laugh but I LOVED this.
The ugly truth.
I won’t tell you where my PG variscosities ended up.
But I can tell you, they were living breathing with a heartbeat of their own.
YUK.
Alexandra recently posted..Optimus Prime Across The Ages
Really, there’s nothing one can do EXCEPT laugh at vulvar varicosities! “living breathing with a heartbeat of their own”–classic!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
I suffered, too!
I had repressed it until I read this…I never did find a support thing that helped. My daughter is 8 months old (today!) and I seriously had put it out of my head entirely. Now, I’m questioning this whole, “we should have another baby in a few years when the first two are in school,” thing my husband and I have going.
So I get to offer you support–and tell you where to buy a supporter. :) It’s called a V2 (get it?). There’s a few around but here’s just one link: http://www.amazon.com/Its-You-Babe-V2-Supporter/dp/B00006D2R8
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
P.S. Better disclose that I am NOT an affiliate for any sort/type/kind of vulvar supporter! :)
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
I tried talking with my (inexperienced male) OB about this during my first pregnancy. Since I was sort of embarrassed, I only mentioned that it felt like there was a lot of pressure, and he just told me it was normal. What I wanted to say was “It feels like I must have testicles.” I suffered from the worst hemorrhoids that anyone ever had, and after doing my own research, I diagnosed myself with the same embarrassing condition as you. :) I never did find a supporter, but I’m about 8 weeks from delivering my next child, and seem to be a little better this time around. I can totally relate to this post. Thank you for your honesty. And maybe, just maybe, vulvar varicosities will become a badge of honor. hahaha
Glad it was better this time around. And glad we would have something to talk about–our badges of honor–the next time we were at a dinner party together!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
4 pregnancies, multiple docs….never knew what was wrong with me :-(
You’re not alone. Sorry you never got the truth.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
I developed vulvar varices (or a “BlueGina” or “Pant Snakes” as my husband so kindly calls them) with my first pregnancy, but they didn’t start until around 5 months. The pain was bad but I only dealt with it for 4 months. This second pregnancy that I currently enduring, the dreaded things came at 10 weeks! I asked my midwife and she said that they will be 10 times worse with the second and third pregnancies. The pain is excruciating! I was able to score some lidocaine jelly from a doctor I work with that helps a little bit. I am definitely going to look into the supporter since I have 7 more months of this. Thanks for the post. I’m glad I’m not the only one out there with this!
This is really a condition!? I had hemmoroids and varicose veins but apparently I also had vulvar varicosities. Relief 2 years later. I had always thought it was because I didn’t do enough kegals. Nice to know it’s not because I was lazy but that my children decided to be pain in the asses before birth.
You made me giggle with your “my children decided to be pain in the asses before birth”!!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
This is one for the ‘blogpost to read when suffering from baby fever’ file.
Tinne from Tantrums and Tomatoes recently posted..Happy happy birthday n°2
Ha! Well put.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
I think It’s like bladder problems during pregnancy…we just don’t talk about except to our mothers!
Jessica W. recently posted..Flower and Feather Barette
What’s ironic is that I have now told the whole world, but I don’t think my mother reads blogs, so she’s still in the dark. :)
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
Huh! Never heard of that! I don’t know if my situation was the vein thing or if it was just being pregnant with a 10lb. 8.6oz. baby the 1st time and a 10lb. 3oz. baby the 2nd time! Either way, I always checking to see if my insides were still located at least within the confinements of my underwear… *ahem* I mean granny panties. Great post!
Those are some big babies! My vote is it was them.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
I think varicose veins in your lady business is the ULTIMATE badge of honor. Holy crap!
Also, let’s promise to be as frank and disgusting with our (especially the male ones) OBs, in the hopes that things like vulvar varicosities don’t continue to be met with a shrug and an eye roll as they firmly place our vague-because-we-are-afraid-to-be-honest symptoms in the “feminine mystique” diagnosis realm. It’s my opinion that if you choose to work with vaginas for a living, you deserve everything you’ve got coming to you!
Hilarious post, by the way! Sharing now!
Desperately Erin recently posted..A Stroke Of Genius
Yes! I got the ULTIMATE badge of honor!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
So, *that’s* what’s going on down there, huh?! Glad to know it’s not leprosy or some other fatal condition! Oh, the things we endure to bring children into this world! I look forward to saying things like, “You better listen to me… I suffered vulvar varicosities during my pregnancy with you!” in the future!
“You better listen to me… I suffered vulvar varicosities during my pregnancy with you!” — Awesome. Just awesome!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
The pre-pubescent pre-teen in me is yelling start conversations with pregnant women by asking, “So how’s your vulva?” And then I giggle. I am giggling. I’m glad your vulvular veins returned to normal. Did this happen with both children?
Arnebya recently posted..Worldful Wednesday: Head Start Readiness
Happened with the second child only. So I can only hold it over her head. :)
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
I totally had this problem but I hated my OB and wasn’t comfortable talking about it with him. Now that I know there was something I could have done for relief I hate him just a little more…good for you sharing this! Someone else might not suffer in silence because of your honesty.
I’m so honored (?!) that women are talking about the “VV” here. Besides my midwife, I never heard of anyone having these suckers before. Yes, in internet searches in years to come, I hope women find this and realize there’s something that can help.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
A little Google research, and it seems that these are very common. WTF?? Why do they always make us figure this stuff out on our own?
Guerrilla Mom recently posted..Blogher ’12 – Guerrilla Mom’s NYC Survival Tips
I know, I’m totally sad that so many ladies got shut out by their doctors when they were suffering. I’m thankful my midwife knew what it was and helped.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
I’ve never had kids, sparing me certain conditions Down There. However, the first time I wore a Maxi pad, I put it glue side up.
Does that count for anything?
June O’Hara recently posted..Demoted
Totally counts. You get a double fist pump for that one!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
I thought it might. (Yes, I played the maxi-incident card.)
June O’Hara recently posted..Demoted
I’ll add this to my file titled “One is Enough”. It’s to be given to my husband the next time he mentions having more kids.
Kathy V. recently posted..Aurora
Perfect! :)
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
Whenever I’m in a pregnant woman conversation I throw it out there & haven’t met anyone else who suffered through those. For me it got worse with each of my 3 pregnancies ending up like I had a bag of marbles in my panties. Everytime a new nurse would check on me she’d physically gasp & wince. Guess they’ve never seen such awful vulvular varicosities either!
The only silver lining is each time they went away as soon as I delivered. The verdict is still out on whether I’m willing to endure that again or if we’re done making babies.
Wow! If there was a VV prize, I think you’d win it. I only suffered with my second pregnancy.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
So glad to hear that I am no the only one!! Telling people about my symptons and they laugh at me!!
You’re not alone! Take care. :)
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
They need to show this in health classes to teenage girls. With pics. I mean, you wouldn’t have to submit a pic of your vajajay, but ya know…a pic of someone’s. It might help decrease teenage pregnancy.
The Mommy Psychologist recently posted..What If You Were The Mother Of James Holmes?
Absolutely! I’m “cured” though so someone else will need to step up for the photo session. :)
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
LMAO!!!! YES!!!!!
Kristen Mae recently posted..I Used to Be a Really Good Violist
I volunteer mine, as long as they don’t need a headshot, too.
Ohhhh, Katy!! I am laughing so hard I’m coughing – between your as-always-hilarious post and the equally-as-hilarious Comments! I’m way past all of this – and was quite fortunate to have had NO problems with pregnancy or delivery (don’t hate me!), but thoroughly enjoyed your ‘take’ on this… ;-)
Lynden recently posted..Christmas in July – Use Scraps!
Thanks, Lynden!!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
OH MY!! Nearly 5 years later I learn the name of my diagnosis! I had terrible vulvar varicosities with my first. It was as though a tamarind had moved into my perineum. By the end of my second trimester it was so huge that I could not sit down properly, had to do sit leaning on one hip. By the end of the pregnancy I was so tired of the constant ache from it and worried sick about what would happen to all that distended skin during and after birth. Well the thing recided internally after a couple of months. But it left in its wake a pretty big flap of skin on one side that I had surgically removed just this Spring. Ahh, the joys of motherhood. And here I thought I was the only one. Well, the doc made me feel that way since neither him nor any of the 4 colleagues he brought into my room one day to show knew what was wrong with me down there. *smashes head on keyboard*
I had to Google “tamarind”! :) And I’m starting to get mad on everyone’s behalf that so many (male) doctors are clueless about this pregnancy side effect. Thank goodness my midwife knew what it was just from me describing the feeling of so much pressure. Sorry your doc and colleagues were such dufuses/dufi.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
Oh my God I’m DYING! PRAISE JESUS that I didn’t have that!!! Actually, wait. Maybe I did… and my doc didn’t feel the need to point it out? I definitely had some weird bulbus thingy Down There towards the end. I thought it was a vaginal prolapse (which I think would suck far more than vulvawatchamacallit.)
Why is it that Angelina Jolie always comes up when we complain about the ugly side of pregnancy? I wrote a whole damn blog post about it several months ago! It’s actually called “Angelina Jolie is Not Real.”
:)
Kristen Mae recently posted..I Used to Be a Really Good Violist
I hope you were dying with laughter! :) Will drop by to check out the Angelina post.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
Been there. Done that. Never the fxxk again. They were trying to get me to wear compression stockings. Not sure how that was going to help my vajayjay.
More weirdness from yet more doctors–so right that compression stockings would not help you-know-where!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
So funny! Uh I mean I am laughing WITH you. I’ve had bizarre pregnancy symptoms in the three times I’ve been preggo but never had the vulvar varicosities.
TheBargainBabe recently posted..Red, White, & Blue Pinterest Drink. Nailed it. (Or "How Pinterest Destroyed My Trust")
Laugh with me, it makes it all better!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
I’ve never heard of this particular condition, nor suffered from it during my four pregnancies, so I felt realllly guilty for laughing when I read about your “delicate” problem.
Like I said to the Bargain Babe, laughing with me about it really does make it better somehow!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
Hmmm. I did not have the vulvar whateveryoucallit. My cervix, however, DID try to exit my vagina about two weeks post birth of my second child. Uterine prolapse. Never knew such a thing existed. I still brag to my friends that I saw my own cervix, beat THAT bitches.
Angelina Jolie does say her twins were very hard on her body and that she wouldn’t have more biological children. But who knows. She won’t return my phone calls.
I’ll try calling Angie and see if she’ll answer what craziness she endured when pregnant…I’ll get back to you when I hear!
Gold star for enduring uterine prolapse, btw.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
Huh. I had that same uncomfortable pressure, but when I mentioned it to my OB, all she said was, “So, your hoo-hah hurts? Let’s get it checked out and make sure your hoo-hah is ok.”
When I gave my oldest “THE TALK”, I was quite tempted to use “hoo-hah”, since it’s apparently a technical term…
Lynn recently posted..Five on Friday: Girls’ Weekend is Here!
Wow. An OB who uses “hoo-hah”. I didn’t know that was the technical term, either!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
Oh my! That’s some kind of situation there Katy. One I’ve never heard of either. So glad you can write about it with such witty style now.
Linda Kinsman recently posted..Plan A’s are Overrated
Thanks, Linda!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
Ouch! That sounds so painful. I hadn’t heard of those before but I sure had the hemmorhoids and if it is like those I know it was a killer!
Mel recently posted..Say What?
It just always felt like the baby was going to fall out. Always. Not terribly painful, just uncomfortable and…well, weird!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
You are hysterical. I think I had a milder case of the VV in the last trimesters with 3 kids. With the first kid I had preeclampsia and didn’t gain hardly any weight to feel pressure. So, with the full term kids I did feel like my Down there :) parts were swollen and just crampy sort of like, esp after well, you know, the fun part of marriage. The pain actually went down my inner thighs and legs. But I didn’t know there was an actual diagnosis! WOW! I do have hemorrhoids though :( Painful, very painful, after each vaginal delivery :(
It’s just crazy what can go on Down There. And, yes, I personally prefer to call it Down There rather than ladybits, hoo-hah, vulvar area, or perineum. :)
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..The Other 4 Most Annoying Pregnancy Side Effects
OH my gosh I chuckled when I found this! I gave birth a couple of weeks ago and suffered from this practically the whole pregnancy. I kept telling my midwife and she never really addressed it! I finally googled it and ohmygosh message boards were flooded with woman trying to figure out what was going on down there! I feel like I need to educate every lady I meet about this potential pregnancy problem so they won’t feel embarrassed or scared if it happens to them :)
I’m glad you chuckled. Really, it makes it sort of better to be able to laugh about it! And you’re so right about wanting to get the word out about this. Until I posted this guest post, I really did feel alone with this problem. Take care!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Back to School? Yes, please!
omg,kathy,i’m way past having children,but i did have cancer during my second pregnacy,if it counts for anything,she is now 25 an as of the end of july i’ve been 25yrs cancer free,yay, i love the story,an the info,i have young cousins an nephews plus the daughters of my own,having children an i’m going to send these pages to a midwife i know in kansas,i think we all can benifit from this,thank you so very much,your writing is great,such a wonderful introduction to the subject.
Thank you for your compliments, Christina. And sooo happy you best cancer! Best wishes.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..Back to School? Yes, please!
I had this with my 2nd & 3rd pregnancies. The V2 cradle was a life saver. I affectionately called it my “va-jay-jay holder.” I imagined that is what it must feel like to have blue balls. Lol. Am now pregnant again and am just waiting for the pressure to begin.
Thank you, thank you for discussing this topic. I’m 16 weeks pregnant and last week, the “pressure” started. I discussed it with my doc and he asked if I had varicose veins. I said no because never had them before, why would I have them now. So uneducated! I finally had a chance to glance “down there” and sure enough, big, bulging veins!!! OMG! Went back in for doc to take a look…and yep, VV. Ok, kind of knew that. And no helpful advice or suggestions for what to do. Lots of not a lot. So, upon finding this blog, I read and was so relieved to know I’m not the only one. This is my second pregnancy and I’m not about to be knocked down by this annoyingly uncomfortable condition. And, I refuse to say its because I’m 37 and having kids later in life. So, I took a trip to Amazon and ordered myself some support. I’m an active mom, like all the other moms out there and have stuff to do! Thanks again and sure hope my cute little supporter gets here quick!
Today, I went to the beachfront with my kids. I found a sea
shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed.
There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell
someone!
remedies for hemorrhoids recently posted..remedies for hemorrhoids
I’m so glad that I found your post. I’m pregnant with #4 and this has been the toughest pregnancy yet. I know that sleep deprivation awaits me, but frankly puking and VV seem worse than sleep deprivation. Ugh. I’ve had the varicose veins on my thigh and calf this time that have gotten pretty ugly, but just in the past few days I’ve felt the increasing pressure and pain down “there.” My google search did bring up lots of articles, but your post has been my favorite. Pregnancy is so UN-glamorous!
heather g recently posted..Happy and Healthy: Our Big Boys
I have Varicose veins so bad in my vagina. I have been put on bed rest, they are so terriable! I have to walk around with ice packs on. It is so uncomfortable, my Dr. told me thats the worest ones shes ever seen before. Im only 21 and this is my second child, I do not know if I’ll ever do this again!
The pain is so intense!
Thank you for this funny version of what I experienced during my second pregnancy (beginning month 5) and now for my third pregnancy (month 3). People think I am crazy for sharing my story but I don’t want others to feel they are the only ones. I am taking your advice and buying that support thing! I never knew about it and there is no way I can go through another 6 months with this discomfort! It’s never fun to feel like your nether regions are going to fall out at any given moment….good luck ladies!
Thank you so much for your post- loved to laugh about such an embarrassing and annoying issue. :)
I think I have fairly mild VV. My question – do the veins itch? Because the itchiness is my biggest annoyance. Once I was scratching and was like, oh shit, that’s a bump, so I got out the mirror and was like, oh wait, that’s just a big vein. I told my Dr it felt like my PF muscles were swollen and going to fall out and he just told me to do kegels. I only know what VV is called enough to google it (you came up first) because my midwife was filling out an order form for a maternity support belt and I saw it listed as a condition you could order something for. She told me the VV belt was like a cross between a thong and a jock strap. For me the pressure is really only bad when I stand up from laying down, all the blood flow returns and it’s just like OW! Sometimes I just try to massage the muscles and push them back to where they’re supposed to be.
Glad to hear it should go away after delivery (I’m at 31 weeks)
So – itchy veins?
I’ve been laughing hysterically reading this post and the comments! I had this problem in my 2nd pregnancy, the midwife could not offer any helpful suggestions. Now it’s 3rd pregnancy, and it started again at 16 weeks. Fortunately this time a different midwife suggested getting “support” underwear to put pressure on it — but looking on Amazon, I think the V2 Supporter sounds like it would be more effective. My 6-yr-old son caught me looking at it online, and he started saying “My mom’s going to wear a Sumo wrestler belt!!” over and over… which only added to my laughing at your post…
I experienced this as well, and my OB suggested the support belt worn with two overnight maxi pads, which was a joke. I was also experiencing terrible back pain, so went to a massage therapist who did a lymphatic massage. Within the day, they were better, but after five days they started back again. I went back for the massage again the next week, and they went away, and I kept going through my whole pregnancy and they were gone until I delivered. I think it must have been the improved circulation. She massaged my arms, legs, back, and neck. It really worked for me.
I’m 33 weeks into my third pregnancy and have them for the third time. I found them when I was about 5 months pregnant with my first. Was just putting on lotion after a shower and happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I screamed, grabbed my laptop and locked myself in my room, crying and googling “5 months pregnant and vagina has exploded and/or turned inside out” with my husband standing outside the door asking me if everything was okay and should he call the doctor. I ordered the V2 belt which provided some relief, but at this point in pregnancy, it’s a choice between painful veins and having that belt press on my bladder all day. Oh, and the attractive strap marks going up each butt-cheek that are plainly visible even under jeans. Thankfully they disappear after giving birth and my husband is sympathetic to my “I will do you the favor of not showing you why, but trust me, do not touch me from 12 weeks pregnant to 6 weeks postpartum” policy.
I got vulvar varicosities with my third pregnancy. They were so painful, but I did get the V2 supporter, which helped. I had varicose veins in my legs too. So they ran all the way from my vulva down. If I would have sex with my husband, I was in such extreme pain the next day (even with the V2) that I could hardly even stand or walk around. The pain would just shoot all the way down my legs. The varicosities were so horrible that they were one of the deciding factors in my decision not to have any more children. However, now three years later I am unexpectedly pregnant again, and I’m still early enough on that the VV aren’t bothering me yet (instead it’s constant nausea), but I know it’s coming…and I am not looking forward to it! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who suffers with these, because when I mentioned them to some other moms I know, I got a lot of strange looks and one said, “What is that? I’ve never heard of that.” I just said, “Basically, they’re varicose veins in your vulva,” and they were ready to change the subject. :) Misery loves company, though, so thanks for this post.
yes, intamacy was out of the question for me by the 5th month of my 3rd pregnancy. I took it as long as I could but I endured pain during, and the next day so I called it off till after delivery. I am 17 weeks pregnant with #4 and I’m already almost to that point. They usually get worse with each pregnancy! :(
At 30 weeks and have these along with tiny little black dots that look like blood blisters. Doctor said to just be careful and not scratch them, or they will bleed! This is my second and didn’t have any of this with the first! I’m a teacher so I’m on my feet all day. Going to check into the support thing!
Thanks for writing about this. I am also suffering from vaginal varicose veins, but before an ultrasound showed my discomfort was from veins, both my doctor and a hernia surgeon thought it was a hernia that hadn’t pushed through the layer of fascia. I was relieved to find out I didn’t need to have surgery. And I completely agree about women not talking about it – I’ve probably been more open about it with my friends and coworkers than most women are :) People need to know this stuff happens!
I am on my 4th pregnancy, 3rd pregnancy with VV. With my first 2nd daughter they first showed up at about 5 months, only got to be about pea sized by delivery but OH so painful, and my pubic bone felt bruised especially first thing a.m. Fortunately my OB knew right away what it is, but had no good news for me! :( With my son, 3 years later, I started feeling the bruised pubic bone about 2.5 months in, and I knew I’d be in trouble. Sure enough they got to be so big they overtook the whole reigon. I scared doctors and nurses, not that I didn’t warn them. hah now we’re on to pregnancy #4, only 17 weeks in, but already miserable most of the time. I’m going to look up the support. I’ve talked to numerous doctors nurses ect. and no one has had any info on relief. I could really use it, with 3 children, and babysitting, and gardening coming up, I really don’t have time to sit around nursing VV!
It also may be worth mentioning your your readers that there is a natural herb you can take, that helps. It’s called butchers broom, it’s not too expensive and you take 2, 2X a day. I have noticed a small difference since starting them. (any difference helps)
I have to say i DIED laughing at this part of your post:
“What was I supposed to say when anyone asked how my pregnancy was going? “My vulvar varicosities are really uncomfortable today, but thank goodness for my vulvar supporter. What’s new with you?”
Lol. I had these with my 2nd pregnancy at the end and now I have then (at only 13 weeks) with my 3rd. They are NOT fun, and I also try to talk to my pregnant friends about them so they’re not in the dark as well.
I never knew about the supporter and I’m definitely looking into that with my 30+ weeks of pregnancy looming ahead.
Makers of soft orthopedic goods have produced a product that dramatically eases the pain and swelling associated with vulvar varicosities. One that I’ve heard rave reviews about it called the V2 Supporter. It’s made in the USA by a company based out of Michigan.
Elaine recently posted..Pregnancy Fashion
I had varicose vein in my left leg and vaginal when I was pregnant. Now after 8 months after delivery I feel it return. During my periods times especially its as bad as it was during pregnancy. Any thoughts or tips on how to deal with it?
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Virgil recently posted..Virgil
I just self- diagnosed my VV. I am 36 weeks and this one time I actually didn’t mind peeing my pants while laughing and reading this! I have never heard of any friends having this issue. No one warned me. I cannot imagine doing this again. Ever. Pain. Is. Too. Much.