Hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy and menopause and can contribute to the development of varicose veins
It is highly common for pregnant women to develop varicose veins during their first trimester of pregnancy. This is due to the elevated hormone levels and an increase in blood volume which in turn causes veins to swell. In addition to these factors the expanding uterus causes increased pressure on the inferior vena cava, which is the large vein located on the right side of the body. When this vein is placed under pressure the veins of the lower leg tend to swell and contribute to the formation of varicose veins.
For most women, varicose veins that are associated with pregnancy will often improve dramatically within three months after delivery
That said, with each successive pregnancy abnormal veins may get worse and not reduce in size post-delivery. Other factors that can contribute to abnormal veins during pregnancy include aging, standing occupations, obesity, lack of activity, venous thrombosis and leg injury. At Vein Doctors Group we offer pregnancy support services to help reduce the development of uncomfortable and unsightly varicose veins.
Pregnancy consultations at Vein Doctors Group…
During your pregnancy consultations our doctors will conduct a completely safe ultrasound scan of your legs to determine the location and extent of abnormal veins. From this information discussions revolve around measures to offer preventative and supportive tools directed at the symptoms and appearance of both varicose and superficial (spider) veins during pregnancy.
If you are planning a pregnancy, the Australasian College of Phlebology suggests that abnormal veins be treated beforehand to reduce complications such as clotting, inflammation and severe progression of disease when you fall pregnant. It is generally not recommended to commence vein treatment during pregnancy, but preventative measures can be taken such as the use of special maternity support stockings that are available for purchase at our vein clinics. These stockings can also reduce the aching legs that are predominant during the last trimester of pregnancy.
Born in Singapore, Dr Nicholas Teo moved to Queensland and fell in love with sunny Queensland where he has lived, trained and worked for over a decade.
Dr Teo is a graduate from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. Dr Teo has worked extensively within Queensland Health including Gold Coast Health, Wide Bay Health and Darling Downs Health. He has also worked at the St Andrews Hospital in Toowoomba where he was instrumental in the development of the Rapid Access Heart Centre.
Dr Teo has also worked as a GP for several years which has helped him hone a comprehensive and holistic approach to medicine. In his experience, Dr Teo saw firsthand the potential severe impact of having chronic painful and swollen legs. Patients would often feel frustrated with the lack of answers or improvement.
On witnessing the transformative potential of modern Phlebology and Lipoedema treatments, Dr Teo has since dedicated his career to patient advocacy and education, as well as helping patients to find answers and explore all possible holistic treatment options.
Dr Chris Lekich
Dr Lekich is the Medical Director of Vein Doctors Group. He changed career paths from pursuing an eye career to the treatment of venous disease following the serious complication of a blood clot his then-wife had with varicose veins during pregnancy. As well as offering a comprehensive modern non-surgical treatment for varicose veins, Dr Lekich established a pregnancy vein service to support women with varicose veins during pregnancy.
Further, he explored the specialised Open Ended Vasectomy to offer this service to the partners of his female patients who have to stop the oral contraceptive pill due to their varicose veins.After completing his medical degree in 1991 from the University of Queensland, Dr Lekich worked at the Royal Brisbane Hospital as a resident for three years. As a senior medical officer, he completed numerous country hospital rotations as a relieving Medical Superintendent. At Royal Brisbane Hospital his focus was on surgical/procedural-based specialisations.
Further, he has a strong background in Emergency Medicine and eyes namely the retina. Dr Lekich’s four (4) year fellowship training with the peak body for non-surgical management of venous disorder in Australia was with the Australasian College of Phlebology. This meant that Dr. Lekich had achieved the highest level of structured advanced training for this modern non-surgical treatment of venous disorders in Australia.
Dr Lekich has collaborated with the world’s leading Lipoedema Surgeon, Dr Heck of Germany’s LipoClinic, which included Dr Lekich making four trips to Germany for formal lipoedema extraction surgery training.
To enable Dr Lekich to deliver the best possible ultrasound assisted treatment of varicose veins, he has undergone formal training by way of Certificate of Ultrasound in Phlebology (C.U.P): Introductory Course and Certificate of Ultrasound in Phlebology (C.U.P): Advanced Course. Dr Lekich’s supervisor during his advanced training was A/Prof Kurosh Parsi who is the Australasian College of Phlebology President, Vice President of the International Union of Phlebology and a PhD Researcher.
Other mentors of note are Australasian College of Phlebology founding members Dr Thibault, the father of Phlebology in Australia (NSW), Dr Loizou (Victoria) and Dr Jenkins (NSW).
Dr Lekich regularly attends conferences and on-going education seminars. He regularly speaks at scientific meetings and conferences and is involved in delivering workshops training doctors. Further Dr. Lekich is a preceptor, mentor and supervisor for phlebology trainees.
Apart from the study of medicine, whilst working full time, Dr Lekich has furthered his university education completing a postgraduate law degree (Juris Doctor) from Bond University in 2004 inspired by the medical indemnity crisis. He then completed the Bar Practice Course at the Queensland University of Technology in 2005 and was admitted as a Barrister in the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2005.
He completed his Masters of Business Administration also at Bond University and has been an Assistant Professor in the Bond University Medical School, Gold Coast Australia.Additional to Dr. Lekich’s venous work, he was trained by the pioneer of the specialised form of vasectomy Dr. Bruce Errey of the 30,041 Open Ended Vasectomy fame. This approach to vasectomy is very specialised and performed by a small percentage of doctors. This form of vasectomy is designed to minimise post vasectomy congestion pain and is more readily reversible should circumstances change.
This Open Ended Vasectomy service complements the care Dr. Lekich provides his female vein patients so that they can stop the oral contraceptive pill.Further Dr Lekich has been trained to perform microsurgery personally at the microscope over three years by the Father of Microsurgery, Professor Earl Owen. Professor Owen performed the world’s first hand and double hands transplant and the collaborator of the first face transplant. This microsurgical training enables Dr Lekich to successfully reverse vasectomies.Dr Lekich is a devoted father of three children and he enjoys influencing them to the best young adults they can be. His other languages include fluent Croatian and Serbian.
The following are Dr Chris Lekich’s professional Society Memberships:
Preceptor Graduate School of Medicine-Clinical and Scientific Teaching -1997
Australian Medical Association -National Membership-Current
Australian Medical Association -Queensland Branch Membership- Current
Gold Coast Medical Association- Current
Clinical Ophthalmic Workshop Mentor Programme – Princess Alexandra Hospital July 2004
Admitted Supreme Court Queensland as Legal Practitioner, March 2005.
Member Queensland Bar Association 2005 – Current
Assistant Professor Medical School Bond University 2005-2010
AHPRA Medical Board of Australia Registration- Current
Member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine
Member of the Australasian College of Phlebology (ACP)-Current
Preceptor for Australasian College of Phlebology Basic and Advanced Training-Current
Member of the Australian New Zealand Society of Phlebology -Current
Member of the Medico legal Society of Queensland-Current
Board Member of the Australasian College of Phlebology -Current
ACP Chair of the Australian Medical Council Specialist Accreditation Committee-Current
ACP Member of the Continuing Professional Development Committee -Current
ACP Member of the Ethics and Standards Committee-Current
Dr Kim Jackman
After graduating from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Dr Jackman travelled all across Australia, gathering experience in Cairns, Darwin, and Broome.
Dr Jackman spent several years with the Royal Flying Doctors, helping people in far off communities, and has been a GP for over 15 years. Through her GP experience, she gained a high valuation for how movement and mobility affects many aspects of a person’s wellbeing, and led her to gaining irreplaceable knowledge from the Australasian College of Phlebology and becoming a gold medal recipient from the college.
We are delighted that Dr Jackman has found a home as part of the Vein Doctors Group family.
Outside of the medical world, Dr Jackman continues to push herself physically and mentally. She refined her sense of aesthetics and appreciation of beauty through studying Fashion and Textile Design in Perth, and also enjoys a passion in kitesurfing. The latter of which led her competing in the Women’s Open Ocean Kite Foiling race in Mauritius against an elite field of international competitors.
Dr Jackman’s personal attentiveness toward physical and mental health has motivated her to practice the same philosophy toward her patients. In particular, she respects the importance movement and mobility has on every aspect on one’s wellbeing, and how an effective treatment of vein issues can significantly enhance her efforts in those pursuits.
Dr Jane Cross
Dr Jane Cross is a vascular, endovascular and general surgeon working in North Sydney.
Dr Cross was awarded a Master’s degree from Cambridge University, UK. She then completed her medical education in London where she graduated with a distinction in her MBBS (University of London). She undertook an internship in London and residency in Bristol before being accepted onto the Oxford Basic Surgical Training Programme. Having gained membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (MRCS), she was then accepted onto the Oxford Higher Surgical Training Programme where she underwent specialist training in both General and Vascular Surgery. During her training she completed a Medical Doctorate degree at University College London (UCL). She was awarded her Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS) before competing clinical fellowships in Paris and Sydney. She gained Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) and has worked at consultant level in Lismore, northern NSW, for the past seven years. She has recently made the move to Sydney and has happily worked at our North Sydney clinic ever since.
Her specialist areas include arterial, venous, aneurysmal, fistula, carotid, hernia, cholecystectomy, laparoscopic, skin and breast surgery.
Stuart McMaster
Dr Stuart McMaster joined the vein doctors group in 2019, having previously worked with Dr Lekich in providing an outreach vein clinic in Mackay in the early 2010s, and provided vein treatment services to patients on Brisbane’s North Side since the mid 2000s.
Dr McMaster graduated from the University of Otago Medical School in 1987, working initially as a general practitioner and rural hospital clinician and obtaining general practice fellowship (FRNZGP) in 1991. Emigrating to Brisbane in 2003, he then pursued special interests of Skin Cancer medicine and Phlebology to add to his general practice skills. As one of the first cohort of doctors to graduate with the Australasian College of Phlebology, Dr McMaster gained his experience particularly under the mentorship of Dr David Jenkins in Sydney, as well as Dr Kurosh Parsi, Dr Paul Thibault and Professor Lourens Bester.
Dr McMaster continues to practice and has substantial clinical experience in the use of all of the modern non surgical means to treat both varicose and surface veins. He also manages other venous problems of the lower limbs such as venous malformations, superficial phlebitis and deep vein thrombosis. As well as this he maintains a broad interest in General Practice, Emergency medicine, rural and remote medicine and skin cancer medicine.
Dr McMaster has held positions as an Examiner with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and the Chief Censor with the Australasian College of Phlebology.
My philosphy is to treat venous diseases in the most efficient and effective manner possible, while avoiding unnecessary and potentially harmful interventions. I aim to give every person who attends an improvement in their knowledge of venous disease, an improvement in their symptoms and appearance of their veins, and a better quality of life.
Vein Doctors Group has seven clinic locations across Australia
Vein Doctors Group Gold Coast
We strive for 100% customer satisfaction. If we fell short, please tell us more so we can address your concerns.
Vein Doctors Group Sydney
We strive for 100% customer satisfaction. If we fell short, please tell us more so we can address your concerns.
Vein Doctors Group Brisbane
We strive for 100% customer satisfaction. If we fell short, please tell us more so we can address your concerns.
