1. Do women need to take special precautions while taking chemical injection during sclerotherapy?

A word of warning is necessary in this era of contraceptive pill. Caution should be exercised before giving a sclerosant injection to a woman on pill. Deep vein thrombosis and fatal thrombo embolism have been reported.

2. Why do women get affected more often?

Women do get affected more often than men. The extra weight of the pregnant uterus can compress the veins and cause increased backpressure in them. Varicose veins can be inherited and if there is a strong predisposition in your family, this may be the most influential risk of all.

3. Why does it seem to mostly effect the legs?

The legs have of two systems of veins. The first system is of deep veins, which carry about ninety percent of the blood. The other system consists of surface veins, which are visible just below the skin and are not as well supported. After the blood has gone through the tissues in the leg it is pumped back up through the leg and up to the heart. As the blood is pumped upwards, there are valves in the veins that prevent the blood from falling back down the leg. If these valves become defective the blood will pool and flow back down the leg causing superficial veins to form. These veins become swollen and distorted. Obesity and hormonal changes during pregnancy contribute to the formation of varicose veins. Deep vein thrombosis is sometimes associated with varicose veins.