Round Ligament Varicosities affects on birth

[MrsSuzieG]

Hi, I’m new here, expecting first baby in 8 weeks and have been diagnosed with Round Ligament Varicosities on my left side.

This is rare and there is limited information on how this affects birth. Has anyone experienced or know someone who has?
It’s very painful and was initially wrongly diagnosed as inegural hernia.
This presents alongside development in pregnancy of Varicose Veins in left leg/ shin and now groin.

This is a mass / horizontal lump that has developed to the left hand side of groin with swelling. Painful when moving.
It resides when lying down. But going from lying to getting up / standing is horrific pain.

It was diagnosed via an ultrasound. Given the state of the NHS it’s very difficult to get any further help or advice on the way forward.

I am now on Blood thinners prescribed until 6 weeks post birth.

Any information known would be so appreciated as I try to navigate the way forward to birth.

Hi, I had them in my first pregnancy and unsurprisingly they’ve appeared again in my second. Like you say they were initially diagnosed as inguinal hernias until an ultrasound showed them to be varicosities. I was relieved it wasn’t a hernia.

I think they’re generally considered to be benign. I can’t say whether they had any effect on my birth. They resolved the second the baby was out of me, although I had large bruises where they were. I did get another fairly unusual complication - a puerperal haematoma - which had to be evacuated in theatre. I don’t know whether that was related to the varicosities or whether it was simply that the midwife stitching me up did a rubbish job (she made a comment while stitching me along the lines of ‘there’s a blood vessel that won’t stop bleeding in here’ - yep, it didn’t stop bleeding - and I’ve subsequently heard that haematomas can often be attributed to poor repair technique).

Oh one thing I should say having read your post again is that mine have never been horrifically painful. They are uncomfortable and can be sore but not horrendously painful. I also haven’t been prescribed blood thinners for them.

Thank you so much for your reply.
It does appear to be very uncommon.

The blood thinners are for small clots and one partial thrombosis already forming that they identified in the ultrasound.

They hopefully stop that aspect getting worse. In return hopefully stop the varicosities getting worse.
I have to see a haematologist next week who is also an obstetrician but with speciality and perhaps she may be able to shed some more light- I will post once I know more.

The lump causing me a great deal of pain on groin area when moving down my left side.
It feels like the world may fall out when I stand.

Did you manage a natural birth? Although aided as you say? The worry of mine is of there is a bleed and I'm already on thinners, it may not be possible to stop very easily.

Grateful for your reply.
Suzie

Hi there,

I’m sorry I know your post was a while ago just keen for some answers/any support.

Like yourself, I have also just been diagnosed with round ligament varicosities (mine are bilateral). I am currently 25weeks pregnant (first pregnancy), pregnancy until now was quite uneventful. Symptoms ease up when I sit/lie down, however when I stand up and especially if I stand for any longer than 10mins it becomes really painful in both groins and like you described - like the world is falling out of my pelvis :(

I’m seeing the consultant again tomorrow and hopefully will get some answers but it seems so rare with so little information out there. I just wondered if I could please ask how your experience turned out, did your symptoms settle down following delivery?

Thanks so much for your help, I’m just really struggling right now how I’m going to last the remainder and make it to term :(

and if there was anything you found/did that helped?

Really grateful for your help thank you,

Hi!
glad this popped up, I’m so sorry you are going through this all. It’s horrible that it’s not more understood.

Mine did resolve after birth, I had to keep taking blood thinners for a while after and at worst I was on 120mg clexane a day.
I injected to my bum as I was really against stomach: I had bad blood flow up my left leg so this was also why I needed it.
my birth…. Well it wasn’t great, I was very scared and went overdue - wouldn't recommend- and ended up induced anyway. I was in so much pain but also just so scared.

The blood flow up leg gave me more issues in birth than the round ligament issue but the pain for the last 10 weeks really was hard. It didn’t subside till after birth. Rest was pretty much forced on me but I couldn’t have pushed it.
Standing hurt. Sitting hurt. Lying down helps. It’s very hard as pain relief is limited. I’m so sorry you have this too.

I am obv worried if I have another it will come back and sooner and my vascular surgeon said well yes… it will. Thing is … you forget . You forget the pain of pregnancy and birth.

Consultants really didn’t have many answers which was so upsetting and so they may wish to induce if nothing happens by 39 weeks. Your pain will guide that.
I believe birth start didn’t happen naturally for me because the blood flow wasn’t getting naturally where it needed to…hence induction- But I still managed birth vaginally on only gas and air.
You get through it. Once you’re in it - you just go through it!!!
start middle end! You can do it. Please message if you have any other specific questions xx

So grateful to find this thread! I’ve just been diagnosed with a round ligament Varicosity on my right side and I’m only 12 weeks pregnant. Really worried about what the rest of my pregnancy will look like as I’m so early on and it’s already quite uncomfortable. Anyone with experience that can give me some guidance or management tips? Will the pain eventually be unbearable or does it plateau? There is hardly any info about this online so I’ll appreciate any information 🙏🏼

Hey! Sent you a PM 😊

Hi CapeTownMommy,

sorry I never use mumsnet and not sure if I’m writing this in the correct place, I hope so! Just writing to help support

so sorry MrsSuzieG I never managed back to your reply, was very kind of you to write back with your support, just knowing I wasn’t alone did really help me!

I’m really sorry you’ve been diagnosed with round ligament varicosites aswell :( and early on as well that’s very hard for you. Firstly I will start with the positive, although it was very hard to get through at the time/come to terms with during my pregnancy now that it’s behind me it’s almost like a bad dream that I remember but happened to someone else if that makes sense! And I’m currently cuddling my beautiful 5 month old daughter while she naps on me so that really helps :) so firstly I want to stress, because that was my real worry- it does go away after delivery!

the not so good bits, it is a very tricky condition to manage symptom wise, mine came on bilateral (although the left side was the only side that was really painful and was larger, the right didn’t bother me too much) at around 25weeks, as my pregnancy progressed they did increase in size somewhat, not hugely though and yes with each increase in size the pain did escalate for a few days then it did sort of plateau as you say. I did always get relief lying down/on my side and some relief while sitting, however yes after any time standing did become very uncomfortable/quite painful. Although horrible to live with, I would say to a degree I got used to it after having them for so long. In terms of symptom management, quite tricky because mine were really quite painful after any length of standing so I didn’t even bother with painkillers because would have needed very strong ones and didn’t want to take anything in pregnancy so tried to manage with frequent sitting down if I was walking somewhere etc. I did try an inguinal hernia belt on and off in the third trimester that did give me some relief at times, but again just check with your own healthcare provider they are happy for you to do this.

I managed to avoid needing any blood thinners the whole pregnancy because my other risk factors were low but there is a small risk they can clot but again your obstetrician will discuss this with you. In the end my daughter was breech from 32 weeks right up until delivery at 39wks so I had a planned section and all went well there, I was worried I would bleed heavily because of the varicosities but actually had very little blood loss. On day 1 post delivery the varicosities had already started to disappear but day 3-4 they had completely gone. And to give you some hope- they never gave me any bother again, like I said I could almost forget that happened to me! Now I will say, it was very hard at times so much so i think it has put me off considering any further pregnancies, but again that is just personal to me and like I said I have my beautiful healthy happy daughter so that helps with the emotional healing! But yes very hard, and agreed very little information out there, in the end I had a very supportive obstetric consultant who had seen 2 cases before so that really helped.

In summary yes very hard symptom wise at times to manage but the weeks do go in and then your wee baba will be here and then they will go away, sending you all the best and thoughts and please message if you have any other questions/I can help in any way, and congratulations on your pregnancy :) xx