Graduated compression is widely used during pregnancy and is commonly suggested for leg swelling and heavy, aching legs. For most women it is straightforward.
Worth a conversation with your clinician first
Our socks are 20 to 30 mmHg, which is a firm level of compression. It sits above everyday flight socks. That is deliberate, but it means a quick check is sensible if any of the following apply to you:
- You have diabetes or any nerve damage or reduced sensation in your feet
- You have a circulatory or arterial condition, including peripheral arterial disease
- You have heart failure or another condition affecting fluid balance
- You have skin conditions, open wounds, ulcers or a current infection on your legs
- You have been diagnosed with, or are being monitored for, a blood clot
- You have been prescribed a specific compression class by a clinician. Use what they prescribed.
- You are unsure whether compression is right for you. That is reason enough to ask.
None of that means you cannot wear compression. It means a thirty-second question at your next appointment is worth asking.
Do not wear them
- Over broken skin, wounds or a rash
- Overnight, unless a clinician has told you to
- If they cause numbness, tingling, colour change in your toes, or pain
When to start
Whenever your legs start telling you to. Some women begin in the first trimester as a matter of habit, most start in the second or third when swelling and heaviness become a daily thing. There is no wrong time and it is never too late.
Some symptoms need urgent attention rather than a sock. Read the list.
