Varicose veins and piles on HRT

[oviraptor21]

I'm prone to the above - had three operations already 😕 including a haemorrhoidectomy 5 years ago which, whilst being the worst op ever, cured those issues with no recurrence since.

I asked my GP about HRT for UTIs, waking up in the night to pee and vaginal dryness - no other menopausal issues like mood, hot flushes, brain fog etc. Was prescribed Oestrogel and Utrogestan.
Within a couple of months a large pile developed and some varicose veins started looking more prominent before. Spoke to a different GP who said no it's not the HRT, keep taking it. Managed to get the pile sorted, still a wee bit itchy but not too bad, but the varicose veins still seem to be getting more prominent and I'm only about 4-5 months since starting HRT.

So is there a link or is it just coincidence.
And would it be worth my trying eg. something like vagifem or some other topical(?) solution?

All female hormones can make varicose veins worse.

They make the veins more supple and that can mean they 'bulge'.

No solution really it's just something some people get.

If your only symptoms are related to bladder, local estrogen is the first step before systemic HRT.

Hmmm - that's what I thought. I've had varicose veins all my life and piles since having kids. But the veins had settled down since the last child and the piles were 'fixed' with the op so it's frightening as far as the piles are concerned that one came back so soon.

It is 'just' the bladder and vaginal irritability that I wanted help for.

Thank you for the advice - it will help me to go back and be a bit more insistent about local estrogen.

I’ve got varicose veins on one leg that ache plus backs of my hands are looking very veiny. I think as the skin looses collagen and is generally drier, in menopause they look more prominent too. The legs aching are the ones that bother me the most but not enough to explore private treatment. I think NHS just regards it as cosmetic procedure now so won’t touch.