Doctor tell me; Leg cramps during pregnancy

Doctor tell me why do leg cramps often occur during pregnancy. Because answering questions about your health is an important part of your doctor's services. The Minnesota State Medical Association presents doctor tell me here to ask the doctor your questions. Is Janice Hughes dead. Today your health questions will be answered by Dr. Rodney F. sturdily. A St. Paul obstetrician and a gynaecologist doctor sisterly Is it true that many times if a pregnant woman drinks too much milk she can experience leg cramps. I don't know whether this is true or not. As you know the traditional explanation for pain crampy pain in the legs has in the past as been the the lack of calcium. And of course if the girl doesn't drink a great deal of milk why then everybody says well she should take calcium tablets and so forth. I doubt seriously whether the ingestion of calcium really has anything to

do with leg cramps I think that the cramps that occur in the legs of the pregnant girl. I related once again to this enormous physiological change that takes place and the entire body. I don't think there is a simple explanation. Do they ever indicate varicose veins. No I don't think so. Varicose veins are curious. They don't. They don't provoke cramps. Most of the problems that arise with varicose veins are visual. There is frequently some a DMA that will develop in the legs associated with the varicose veins and then of course if they become clotted. If they happen to have a perforated or that as a very large collection of veins with them incompetent vein connecting with the deeper structures they will have a great deal of pain around this general

area. But the very close then has us is a very serious problem with the pregnant girl. Why do they occur during pregnancy. Well they become worse during pregnancy because of the increased Venus pressure. Every pregnant girl has a marked increase in the Venus pressure of the leg. A very coarse deigns like hemorrhoids are more or less genetic in origin in other words the girl was destined to have the varicose veins but there are many very much worse by pregnancy and each subsequent pregnancy makes them worse. What relief is there for varicose. Well of course position the patient should avoid sitting as much as possible and when she can proper legs up there are various supporting measures. Suppose a lastic stockings wrap around stockings and also there are a full length tired elastic leotards that you can buy through surgical houses when the varicose

veins are so very high that the ordinary stocking will not reach the top of the varicose then. Of course to eliminate the varicose vein the patient actually. It requires surgery. Now I feel strongly about surgery and varicose veins. I do not as a rule recommend them during the pregnancy but I frequently recommend them afterwards and in particular if the girl has had what she considers her family then I definitely urge that she have the varicose veins stripped because if she has another child after having had the surgery there's a good chance that she will develop new varicose veins. But if she's decided that. This guy is her family then I will urge her to have surgery immediately while she's still in the hospital.

Thank you very much Dr. steadily. The Minnesota State Medical Association has presented doctor tell me recorded in the studios of KUNM at the University of Minnesota. Jenna's who is dead has asked the doctor your questions if you have any additional questions. Write to Dr. tell me. Minnesota State Medical Association Three seventy five Jackson St.. St. Paul Minnesota 5 5 1 0 1. This program was distributed by the national educational radio network.