Prepared and published by Update Software Ltd . All rights reserved. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if necessary. Leg oedema from venous insufficiency is not dangerous but it can cause women symptoms such as pain, feelings of heaviness, night cramps and paraesthesiae.
Leg oedema can be a sign of pre-eclampsia when associated with raised blood pressure or proteinuria.
The objective of this review was to assess the effects of treatment to relieve the symptoms associated with varicosity in pregnancy and to reduce leg oedema. Trial quality was assessed and data were extracted independently by two reviewers. A total of 115 women were involved. They had a decrease in ankle circumference at 36 weeks' gestation after eight weeks of treatment, while women given placebo had a small increase. In one trial, women with ankle oedema had a small non-significant reduction in lower leg volume when treated with external pneumatic intermittent compression for 30 minutes.