Sydney Leroux, soon-to-be mother and celebrity Forward of the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team, proudly announced her varicose veins to the world on Instagram last week.
On July 5th, Leroux posted a picture on Instagram of herself and her husband, Dom Dwyer, being pulled on an inner tube behind a speedboat as they relaxed over the long Fourth of July weekend. The picture prompted some extreme criticism of her choices in extracurricular activities while pregnant, attracting comments like “there’s no way her baby is still living after she did this.”
Later that day, Leroux posted another picture to Instagram in response to the criticism. The second picture shows Leroux in a bikini, standing sideways with her baby bump in full view. Leroux says: “[T]his is MY body. MY body is the body that is creating life. MY body is the one that has stretch marks and cellulite and varicose veins… So if I want to jump in a pool, go on a tube and slowly ride around with my husband, dance like an idiot or work out I am absolutely going to. Leave your awful comments to yourself and let me enjoy MYSELF and MY body the way I want to.”
Leroux’s announcement is proof that even professional female athletes with toned bodies most women can only dream of having are susceptible to the blemish of varicose veins.
Pregnant, Blemished, and Beautiful?
It’s not clear from Leroux’s comment whether her varicose veins were caused by her pregnancy or not. While varicose veins commonly appear during pregnancy, it’s also possible that Leroux has suffered from them for longer than she’s been pregnant. As a soccer player, Leroux makes her living on her feet, and being on your feet a lot is a common cause of the pressure in your legs that causes varicose veins to appear.
Leroux is not ashamed of her choice to go tubing while pregnant, and she wants you to believe that she’s also not ashamed of her stretch marks, varicose veins, and cellulite. However, pointing out these visible side effects of her pregnancy shows that she is conscious of them. Being conscious of varicose veins and stretchmarks on your body over time can lead to self-consciousness about those blemishes. It will be interesting to see if Leroux opts to have her varicose veins treated after she gives birth to her baby.
Luckily for Leroux, she can easily have her varicose veins treated if she feels less proud of them after her baby is born. There are a variety of different types of medical and holistic treatments available to remove varicose veins or reduce their size and visibility.
Varicose Veins Can Be Treated
If you also suffer from varicose veins caused by pregnancy or just being an active individual, use our cost calculator to explore the different types of treatments available and get an estimate on your preferred treatment.