hi ladies,

ok, I know I've posted here before about this varicose vein stuff, but it bothers me, because out of all the women here who do have lots of leg aching (like me!), nobody has the varicose veins! Now, I've asked BOTH my dr.'s about this. BOTH of them, shrug this off to hormonal changes. Yet, the whole thing about a varicose vein, is that the valve isn't working good enough! Which can't be good! I don't hve these big huge type veins that wind their way up my legs, but in the month of JANUARY alone, I acquired about 5 more of these veins, 3 one the right thigh, and two on the left leg. They are not, like I said, the type that are even way popped out from under the skin, they are still FLAT , under the skin .... but they ALL CAME OUT IN JANUARY! AND THEY CAN HURT AND ACHE! I've read on diff. sites, that yes, this can be caused by hormones. But, even still, if you see a vein appear that you haven't seen before, (the dr. told me that it was varicose veins, even if they are flat and not popped out), that means it IS varicose, and that the valves don't work! So, yes it may be CAUSED by hormones, but how? and it still doesn't detract from the fact that the valve then apparently isn't working good enough, WHATEVERcaused it.

I'd like to know if any of you ladies have these, and if you noticed them "appear" more during peri (or menopause too) ....
because then at least I won't feel so alone with this ...and I think what worries me is suppose this keeps happening?

thanks everyone! MyDarling

Hi,
I noticed , I guess I'll call them spider veins cause they don't protrude above the skin, a few yr's ago so I would have been around 35 by and around my ankles. I am now gwtting more behind my knee area maybe just below it. There alot more there than my ankles. I'm on my feet alot for work,or at least I was , and know this can be a cause. I looked into buying something called TED hose just to ware at work to take the stain off my legs a bit. If you watch pro basketball some of the players where them because of the strain running back and forth like that put on the legs. I have afew up on my belly where my bra rests right under the breasts, the most is on my legs. I'm not sure if these are the same as yours, they again aren't bulging. Are you fair skinned? I am and I'm sure this plays in to the fact thye are so noticable...to me anyway. HUGS Mikki

excuse spelling errors above

Hi Mikki,

thank you for replying! yes, I am very fair skinned, but what's weird is that this has never happened to me before, even with the fair skin..lol...I also have a pair of those knee-hi stockings (compression hose) and I wear them on and off, ... they "sort of" help, not drastically though. It's just that this ALL strated in JANUARY! I never had these veins before, so even if I were fair skinned NOW, I'd have been fair skinned then too ... I've always been very very fair skinned, so I would have noticed them before ..oh boy, this isn't making sense here, I know...lol ... all I mean is that these veins just appeard in January, and one just appeard the other night on my thigh. A NEW ONE! (isn't that cute!:) They do ache and hurt, and can easily make the entire leg hurt which i know is common for varicose veins. I can go for a few days with NO PAIN OR ACHE at all, but then, it returns. It
likes to switch legs too.

The reason I posted this, was because I've read on other forums here that plenty of women do have leg aching/pain, but nobody
seems to get the varicoseveins with it! Let me ask you something, do you notice them more either mid cycle, or just before your period? I seem to get them more around mid., that's when I get a lot of the really bad leg aching too! I'm due for my period any day now, and like I just mentioned, I just noticed another one on my thigh ..... so I"m correlating the time frame in which this happens...it seems it's mid cycle, AND right before my period! THIS IS JUST SO MUCH FUN I CAN'T STOP SMILING!

LikeI said, I really had to do my own homework on the net about this, bec. both my dr.'s (one is a GYN) just seem to shrug their shoulders, and say "it could be anything, it could easily be hormonal", ok so that's what they're paying him for? For THAT opinion? I could have said that, give ME the same money, thank you!

I am left to ASSUME that it's hormonal, and do my own research i guess. But, at least that's nbetter than nothing, better tahn not knowing at all! Now, you said you are getting them behind your knee, SO AM I ! You refer to yours as "spider" veins, ok, what color are they? I also have spider veins, but they are the tiny thread like veins, that look like a purple/crimson color, is that how yours look? See, the VARICOSE ones, are larger, more dialated veins, they look BLUE, mine don't BULGE out either, they are flat, under the skin, but they hurt! (not always, but enough).

I've gotten so many diff. opinions as to whether they are even varicose veins or not! Some people say, no they have to be BULGING in order to be considered varicose, others, say no, it can be flat, under the surface too. I don't know anymore.

Well, Mikki, thank you for replying! Sincerely, mydarling

I was just thinking myself how much my legs ached. This has been gradually increasing especially if i don't wear shoes. I know thru peri and meno we tend to pay more attn. to our bodies. We noticed stuff we have never noticed before because we are scanning our bodies now for anything different especially if we are scared... I know this I do it everyday. example about a 1 1/2 yr's ago when I started getting spacey/dizzy/vertigo regularly I for whatever reason was looking at myself in the mirror and noticed one of my pupils were dialated more than the other. Alarms went off and I started to go from room to room in different light to see if they were reacting the same...I had myself in such a state for something that was probably there all my life. I went to have an mri and it was normal Dr. said yes she noticed that and she has seen it before means nothing. Still dizzy though more so than then. I'm sure the viens wern't there all your life, but I think we notice things more now. I beleive they are probably an age thing too. since peri my skin is different. I have freckles all over and noticed as I began to go through this that they were changing, had 7 biopsies done over a couple of yr's all neg. my freckles just started to change shape around the same time. I am getting age spots on my hands. HUGS Mikki

sorry to answer your question. I have more of the smaller ones, I do have one that is on my calf that is bigger and protruding just a tiny bit. Funny thing though is my have viens throughout my body protrude. I go in for blood work and they woudn't have to tie the band around me just poke. My feet, hands and arms they are really noticable...I get that from my father. I lift wieghts so I'm sure that doesn'r hrlp either. Mikki