What causes hemorrhoids during pregnancy?
Firstly let me say that hemorrhoids in pregnancy are very common.
They are caused by pressure from your enlarging uterus, beginning around week 25, plus increased blood flow to the pelvic area, which causes the veins in the rectal wall to swell, bulge and itch. Constipation can aggravate, or even cause, hemorrhoids (when a stool is hard, the extra straining you’ll need to eliminate it, puts pressure on the veins in your rectal area and causes them to swell and bulge).
They may also develop postpartum as a result of pushing during labor. But there is some good news I’m pleased to say. There’s a lot you can do to treat them, they may or may not go away after the birth.
Heres what you can do about hemorrhoids during pregnancy to help yourself. These will treat the symptoms but against some popular relief they are not a cure.
Stay regular. The best hemorrhoid treatment during pregnancy is to stay regular, so drink plenty of water and up your fiber intake to avoid constipation.
Do your Kegel exercises. In addition to getting your perineal floor ready for birth, they can help prevent hemorrhoids by improving circulation to the area.
Sleep on your side. And not your back – this reduces pressure on the affected area. Try lying down on your left side a few times daily to relieve the pressure on your rectal veins.
Keep moving around. Don’t sit or stand for long stretches at a time, Try taking a short brisk walk every so often to improve circulation to the area and flush everything out. And if you have your doctor’s OK, keep up any safe pregnancy exercises right up until your due date.
Never, never force yourself to go to the toilet as hemorrhoids do not like this and you will suffer
Baths. Take warm baths, this eases any discomfort. Sitz baths are also very beneficial for dealing with hemorrhoids during pregnancy. Its basically a small bowl tyhat clips over the toilet and they really do help
Witch Hazel is also recognised as being beneficial in soothing hemorrhoids and hemorrhoid pain
Your physician may recommend hemorrhoid creams or suppositories.
Stay as clean as possible. Always use soft toilet paper and don’t wipe too hard. A good idea after each bowel movement is to wet a pad and wash the area thoroughly. Dry it by patting the area with a separate towel kept only for this purpose
Sometimes hemorrhoids or piles as they are better known can cause problems all the way through a woman’s pregnancy and after the birth.
The earlier you can treat them, the better they respond we have found.
IMPORTANT.
If you experience any bleeding during pregnancy, be sure to see your physician. Most likely, however, it’s the hemorrhoids bleeding. This often occurs whilst bearing down during a bowel movement or it could be an anal fissure. These are cracks in the skin of the anus caused by straining due to constipation. Always check with your doctor just to be safe.
If you feel you need help and not sure how to treat hemorrhoids that are bothering you, I can strongly recommend a Clinically Proven Hemorrhoid Treatment which has helped over 147,000 people in 127 different countries since it was introduced over 12 years ago, Its probably one of the most successful hemorrhoid treatment programs yet. Just check it out in the Resource Box below this article
