Why did the veins turn bright blue in unnoticeable places?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 25 year old female. I do not smoke, drink socially, not on birth control, and my period started today. My veins became bright blue today and appeared in places they usually are not noticeable such as the chest and posterior part of forearm. None of them are raised, just insanely blue and visible. I have had some pain in my legs and armpits leading up to my period. The leg pain nagged for about five days, so I finally went to the ER to get checked for a clot. Doppler was negative. D-dimer blood test normal, and chest x-ray was clear. Any idea what might be causing the odd sensation? The leg pain has nearly gone now that my period has started. I will get a shooting pain in my armpit and inner arm often but the veins are just crazy and show up even on the tanned parts of my body.

Please advice.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The veins over the forearms or the armpits and chest that have become prominent and visible (attachment removed to protect patient identity) are unlikely to be related to PMS (premenstrual syndrome) or your menses. Most likely the cause is decreased subcutaneous fat. They are seen especially in thin-built women and can get prominent when the blood volume and the heart rate increase. The pain related to PMS would subside, as your menses has already started. Considering the fact that you have already gotten your clotting investigations in terms of Doppler and D-dimer, there is no indication of any deep vein thrombosis as well. So, I feel there is not much to be concerned about here, and the prominence is due to decreased subcutaneous fat.