What is the cause of lower limb edema in women?

There are many reasons for lower limb edema in women, including heart disease and kidney disease. Of course, some bad living habits may also cause such edema. For example, wearing high heels frequently can lead to poor blood circulation. For pregnant women, this phenomenon may also occur due to changes in their physical constitution. In addition, some women are prone to lower limb edema before their period.

What causes leg edema?

Edema is often a signal of heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, endocrine disease and other diseases, but some edema is not a manifestation of disease, but a physiological reaction.

1. Idiopathic edema: Some women aged 20 to 40 often experience mild edema on their eyelids and face after getting up in the morning, and pitting edema or tightness in the lower limbs. Gradually alleviate and subside with activity. Most scholars believe that it is related to neuropsychiatric factors and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

2. Reactive edema: Some people, especially those who work in high temperatures or are overweight and inactive, are affected by the high temperature of the environment, which causes the blood vessels in the skin to expand, and body fluids to penetrate and accumulate in the subcutaneous tissue, often causing edema in the hands, feet, etc. After summer, it will disappear on its own. But it will happen every summer and recur for many years.

3. Postural edema: Standing, walking, squatting or sitting for a long time may cause edema due to obstruction of blood return and congestion in the lower limbs. After changing the body position for a period of time, the edema may be reduced and disappear on its own.

4. Premenstrual edema: Some healthy women may experience mild edema of the eyelids, backs of hands, ankles, and even lower limbs, as well as symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, fatigue, and headache a week or half a month before menstruation. When menstruation comes, edema and other symptoms may gradually subside.

5. Drug-induced edema: If you use drugs such as cortical hormones, testosterone, androgen, insulin, thiourea, licorice, etc., it may cause edema of the face, hands, and feet. The edema will gradually subside after stopping the drug.

There is no need to worry about the above-mentioned edema, and there is no need to use medicine indiscriminately. However, if the edema is caused by a disease, the primary disease should be treated actively.