Why Are Women More Likely to Develop Varicose Veins?

With each passing year, you feel like life is leaving a visible road map on your body, which includes the appearance of bulging varicose veins in your lower legs. 

Varicose veins affect about 40 million Americans, and while men are certainly part of the overall picture, this vascular issue tends to favor women — by at least two to one.

To explain this gender difference, Dr. Satjit Bhusri and our team at Upper East Side Cardiology pulled together some information on why women are more prone to varicose veins. So, let’s dive in.

Varicose vein basics 

Whether you’re male or female, varicose veins are the same, and they occur when the valves in the veins in your legs don’t close all the way, which allows blood to pool. As the blood pools, it can increase the pressure inside the vein and send the blood vessel to the surface of your skin.

Varicose veins occur in the surface veins, which are only responsible for about 10% of the overall circulation in your legs.

Once a varicose vein forms, it will not fade away on its own. Thankfully, we offer a wide range of leg vein treatments that can get rid of these damaged veins.

Hormones hold one of the keys to varicose veins

Now let’s look at why women are more vulnerable to varicose veins. Since reproductive hormones are largely responsible for most gender differences, it makes sense that they’re to blame here, too.

Both estrogen and progesterone hormones have an effect on blood vessel health, and higher amounts of either of these hormones can cause the walls of your veins, as well as the valves, to relax more. This effect allows blood to pool more readily in your limbs, which paves the way to varicose veins.

Pregnancy and varicose veins

Another female-only road to varicose veins is pregnancy. By the third trimester of a pregnancy, women can experience a 40-45% increase in blood volume. This increase in volume can lead to varicose veins if the valves can’t keep up with the additional blood.

As well, the growing fetus can hamper circulation in your legs, which can also make you more susceptible to varicose veins.

Obesity and varicose veins

A significant risk factor for varicose veins, in both men and women, is having obesity. Carrying excess pounds places more pressure on your blood vessels and on the valves in your legs.

In the United States, 2 in 5 adults have obesity, and the percentage of women with severe obesity is higher than in men — 11.5% in women versus nearly 7% in men.

Outside of the risk factors we just reviewed, there are others related to the aging process, and they apply to both men and women.

Fortunately, no matter your sex or your circumstances, we have an extensive suite of varicose vein treatment options that can rid your legs of these pesky veins.

Sitting down with us to review your treatment options for varicose veins is as simple as calling our New York City office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 212-752-3464. You can also request an appointment online by clicking here.