M.B.
Varicose veins are a symptom of adrenal stress. Given the age of your children, it's not surprising that your adrenals would be stressed. Are you taking a good pre-natal vitamin? If not, you should. If you are, it could be you're low in B vitamins - again not surprising given the age of your children (the fetus will get the nutrition rather than the mother if you're low).
My varicose veins were also painful and itchy like yours and adding the B vitamins (a B-50 along with extra B12, B6, folic acid and B5) has totally eliminated any pain or itchiness. Your doctor may not want you to add these vitamins, so the compression hose are definitely the best approach. Here's an article that discusses the alternatives:
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/23/13...
I recommend starting with the B's because those are also so very important to your developing fetus. But, again, you should not take any supplements without first talking to your doctor. They should have no problem running the blood tests for your levels of B12 and Folic Acid, for example, which would give you an idea if you're deficient.
