What are the causes of hemorrhoids during pregnancy? How can hemorrhoids be treated and prevented during pregnancy? Find the answers to these questions and more.

Causes of Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy

Hemorrhoids, or swollen veins in the anus and rectum, are a common occurrence during pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester. As the uterus grows larger, it puts increased pressure on the veins in the pelvic region, leading to the development of hemorrhoids. Additionally, the rise in the hormone progesterone can relax the walls of the veins, making them more prone to swelling. An increase in blood volume during pregnancy can also contribute to the formation of hemorrhoids.

Other common causes of hemorrhoids during pregnancy include:

• Straining during bowel movements
• Increased weight from the growing fetus
• Prolonged sitting or standing

Hemorrhoids are especially common in pregnant women who experience constipation, which affects up to 38% of pregnant women according to research. Constipation can be caused by the growing uterus pressing against the bowel, as well as the effects of pregnancy hormones on the digestive system.

Preventing Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy

The key to preventing hemorrhoids during pregnancy is to avoid constipation. Here are some tips to help achieve this:

1. Eat a high-fiber diet, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
2. Drink plenty of fluids, aiming for at least 10 8-ounce glasses of water per day.
3. Use the toilet as soon as you feel the urge, rather than “holding it in”.
4. Take breaks from sitting or standing for long periods, and try to rest on your side when possible.
5. Ask your doctor about using a stool softener, as laxative pills are not recommended during pregnancy.
6. Perform Kegel exercises regularly to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and improve circulation in the rectal area.

Treating Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy

While hemorrhoids can be uncomfortable, they generally do not pose a serious threat to the health of the mother or the baby. In most cases, hemorrhoids resolve on their own after childbirth. However, there are several treatment options that can help provide relief during pregnancy:

Over-the-Counter Treatments

Some over-the-counter remedies that may help alleviate hemorrhoid symptoms include:

• Topical creams or ointments containing hydrocortisone or witch hazel
• Sitz baths, which can help reduce inflammation and discomfort
• Oral pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen

Prescription Treatments

If over-the-counter treatments are not effective, your healthcare provider may recommend prescription-strength medications or other interventions, such as:

• Medicated suppositories or ointments
• Rubber band ligation, which involves cutting off the blood supply to the hemorrhoid
• Sclerotherapy, which involves injecting a solution to shrink the hemorrhoid

When to Seek Medical Attention

It’s important to consult your healthcare provider if you experience severe or persistent hemorrhoid symptoms, such as:

• Significant bleeding
• Extreme pain or discomfort
• Difficulty passing stool or urinating

These could be signs of a more serious condition that requires medical treatment.

Hemorrhoid Symptoms and Complications

Hemorrhoids during pregnancy can cause a range of uncomfortable symptoms, including:

• Itching, burning, or stinging in the anal area
• Swelling or lumps around the anus
• Bleeding during or after bowel movements
• Painful bowel movements

While hemorrhoids are generally not harmful to the mother or the baby, they can lead to additional complications if left untreated, such as:

• Thrombosed hemorrhoids, which occur when a blood clot forms in the hemorrhoid
• Strangulated hemorrhoids, where the blood supply to the hemorrhoid is cut off
• Anal fissures, or small tears in the anus that can cause pain and bleeding

Hemorrhoids and Childbirth

Pushing during labor can exacerbate existing hemorrhoids or even cause new ones to form. However, most hemorrhoids resolve on their own after childbirth, as the pressure on the pelvic veins is reduced. In some cases, hemorrhoids may persist or worsen after delivery, requiring additional treatment.

It’s important to continue practicing good bowel habits and following the prevention tips mentioned earlier to help manage hemorrhoids during the postpartum period.

Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy: Causes and Prevention

Hemorrhoids — swollen veins in the anus and rectum — are common during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester when the enlarged uterus puts pressure on the veins.

Hemorrhoids can be painful. They may also itch, sting, or bleed, especially during or after a bowel movement.

While your body is going through all sorts of physical changes during pregnancy, hemorrhoids can be one more unwanted irritation. But the good news is that they generally aren’t harmful to your health or the health of your baby, and they’re usually a short-term problem. Though pushing during labor can worsen hemorrhoids, they typically go away on their own after you give birth. (1)

Some women get hemorrhoids for the first time when they’re pregnant. But if you’ve had hemorrhoids before, you’re more likely to get them again when you’re pregnant.

What Can Cause Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy

As your unborn baby grows, your uterus gets bigger and begins to press against your pelvis. This growth puts a lot of pressure on the veins near your anus and rectum, and these veins may become swollen and painful as a result.

The increase in the hormone progesterone during pregnancy can also contribute to the development of hemorrhoids, as it relaxes the walls of your veins, making them more prone to swelling. An increase in blood volume, which enlarges veins, can also contribute to hemorrhoids during pregnancy. (1)

Three common additional causes of hemorrhoids during pregnancy include:

• Straining during bowel movements
• Straining from carrying extra pregnancy weight
• Sitting or standing for long periods of time

Hemorrhoids are most common in pregnant women who experience constipation.

As many as 38 percent of pregnant women become constipated at some point during their pregnancy, according to research published in the journal BMJ Clinical Evidence. (2)

One cause of constipation during pregnancy may be when the growing uterus pushes against the bowel. Iron supplements you may take can also contribute to constipation, so it’s worth trying to get the iron you need naturally through your diet. ( 3)

Pregnancy hormones can also slow down the movement of food through the digestive tract, making constipation more likely.

How to Prevent Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy

Avoiding constipation is key to preventing hemorrhoids during pregnancy. Here are some tips for preventing constipation:

Eat lots of high-fiber foods. There are plenty of good ways to incorporate more fiber into your diet. Fiber-filled foods include fruits like pears (especially when you include the skin), avocados, and berries; vegetables such as broccoli, artichokes, and Brussels sprouts; whole grains such as oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and even popcorn; legumes including various kinds of beans, lentils, and green peas; and don’t forget nuts and seeds.

RELATED: 11 High-Fiber Foods to Add to Your Diet

Drink plenty of fluids.  Aim for 10 8-ounce glasses of water each day.

Use the toilet as soon as you feel the urge. “Holding it in” can contribute to constipation.

Try not to sit or stand for long periods of time. If you sit down at work, make sure to get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour. At home, try to rest on your side when reading or watching TV, to relieve downward pressure on your rectal veins.

Ask your doctor about using a stool softener. This can help if other methods fail to ease your constipation. Using laxative pills for constipation is not recommended during pregnancy, as they can cause dehydration and might stimulate uterine contractions. (3)

Do Kegel exercises daily. Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that help support your rectum and can improve circulation in the rectal area. You can do Kegel exercises just about anywhere — at home, in your car, at the office — but first you need to make sure you’re isolating and contracting the correct muscles.

Identify the right muscles by stopping urination midstream. (This is strictly for the purpose of identifying which muscles we’re talking about — you don’t want to do Kegels while urinating, as this could increase your risk for a urinary tract infection). (4)

Once you know which muscles to use, tighten them and hold the contraction for five seconds. Then relax for five seconds. Work up to holding the contraction for 10 seconds. Try to do at least three sets of 10 reps a day.

RELATED: 10 Foods to Help Relieve Constipation

RELATED: Constipation Causes, Symptoms, and Relief

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Hemorrhoids are swollen veins that develop around the anus. When they occur, they can cause pain and bleeding. Anyone can develop hemorrhoids, but pregnant women are at higher risk

According to the Office on Women’s Health (OWH), up to 50% of pregnant women develop hemorrhoids. According to an article in World of Gastroenterology, hemorrhoids are common during the third trimester.

Healthcare providers divide hemorrhoids into two different types— internal and external hemorrhoids.

Internal hemorrhoids may require treatment, including medication or non-operative methods, such as rubber band ligation. However, external hemorrhoids do not require treatment unless they cause discomfort.

This article will discuss the symptoms, causes, and treatment options available for hemorrhoids during pregnancy.

The symptoms may vary depending on whether the hemorrhoids are external or internal.

Internal

Internal hemorrhoids form inside the rectum.

Symptoms include:

• Rectal bleeding: A person may notice bright red blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet bowl.
• Prolapsed hemorrhoid: This occurs when an internal hemorrhoid falls through the anus due to straining.

If a person has a prolapsed hemorrhoid, they may experience pain and discomfort. Otherwise, internal hemorrhoids are not typically painful.

Increasing pressure from the growing uterus can also cause hemorrhoids to become distended.

External

External hemorrhoids form on the outside of the anus.

Symptoms may include:

• itching around the anus
• painful, hard lumps near the anus
• aching anus or pain that worsens when sitting

The hemorrhoids may bleed or become more painful if a person strains or aggravates them too much.

Symptoms may disappear after a few days.

When veins function normally, blood flows through them, traveling in one direction. Extra weight and pressure on the pelvis can cause the veins to swell in the lower body causing unpleasant issues, such as hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids are common during pregnancy, and according to the OWH, reasons include:

• pressure from the increasing weight of the developing fetus and uterus on the pelvis
• increased blood volume
• constipation

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center, other common causes of hemorrhoids include:

• chronic constipation
• straining during bowel movements
• a low fiber diet
• sitting on the toilet for prolonged periods
• lifting heavy objects
• the weakening of supportive tissue around the anus
• pregnancy

Prevention of hemorrhoids during pregnancy is not always possible.

However, it might be possible to prevent hemorrhoids by:

• eating high fiber foods
• drinking water
• avoiding straining during a bowel movement
• avoiding heavy lifting
• avoiding sitting on the toilet for prolonged periods

A pregnant woman should see a doctor if the symptoms of hemorrhoids become painful and interfere with daily life.

A person should also see a doctor if:

• the hemorrhoid becomes thrombosed, or becomes bluish
• symptoms worsen
• heavy bleeding occurs

Women who are pregnant should talk to a doctor before starting home treatments for hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids are common during pregnancy, typically during the third trimester.

This is usually due to constipation, increasing pressure on the pelvis, and an increase in blood volume.

Symptoms typically include itching, rectal bleeding, and painful lumps.

Treatment usually involves managing symptoms at home with cold packs, warm baths, or over-the-counter creams and ointments. A woman should talk to her doctor before taking any medication or ointment for her symptoms to make sure they are safe.

Following pregnancy, the hemorrhoids should start to resolve by themselves. If they do not resolve, or they get worse, a woman should talk to a doctor about additional treatment options, such as surgery.

Pregnancy hemorrhoids | TS Clinic — Krasnodar

If you periodically or regularly feel:

• itching, burning
• pain in the region of the anus, in the rectum. May be during or after defecation
• discomfort in the rectum
• blood: in stool or on toilet paper
• sensation of incomplete bowel movement or foreign body in the anus

The presence of these symptoms may indicate serious pathologies, including cancer. Treatment of hemorrhoids and rectal fissures in the initial stages will allow treatment with minimally invasive methods and avoid a serious surgical operation.

Pregnancy is a wonderful but difficult time in a woman’s life. In connection with the development of the fetus and placenta in the mother’s body, there are significant changes in the function of all the most important organs and systems, which are aimed at creating optimal conditions for the growth and development of the child.

Pregnancy from the very first day is accompanied by endocrine changes in the mother, affecting all spheres of her life.

Therefore, “start” to the development of hemorrhoids is not the day of birth, but the first day of pregnancy!

The heart functions during pregnancy with an increased load due to the expansion of peripheral vessels, an increase in the volume of circulating blood, the development of the uteroplacental circulation, a progressive increase in the body weight of a pregnant woman, etc. Compression of the iliac veins (due to an enlarged uterus) contributes to venous stasis in the small pelvis and legs and increases the risk of venous thrombosis. Also, during pregnancy, there is a significant (up to 150-200%) increase in the content of plasma coagulation factors.

HEMORRHOIS (Greek haimorrhois bleeding; obsolete kidney) – dilation of the cavernous veins (calf) of the distal (final) section of the rectum and anus.

First, the venules increase in volume, their walls thicken, then a hemorrhoid is gradually formed.

In women, external hemorrhoids are more often detected, which she can detect on her own in the form of “swellings” in the anus. They are most noticeable and pronounced after emptying and in the evening. If at the same time the pregnant woman does not experience pain and there is no discharge of blood from the rectum, then there is no cause for concern.

Further, hemorrhoids can increase in size, and blood clots form in the lumen of the vessels due to stagnation, due to which the nodes become more dense and painful. And one day, OH occurs – acute hemorrhoids or thrombosis of hemorrhoids. The edema is pronounced, the knots are dense, the pain is severe, save, help!

Is it possible to help a pregnant woman in a state of exacerbation?

Of course you can! The main thing is to get an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible. The longer you endure pain, the more not only you suffer, but your baby too! There are a lot of recommendations on the network regarding the treatment of hemorrhoids in pregnant women, but:

• not all of them are useful (and some are frankly harmful!),
• the diagnosis is made only by a doctor and only at an internal appointment!

If your baby has already been born: breastfeeding is not a contraindication for the treatment of hemorrhoids!

Do not put off a visit to the doctor in the presence of nodes, pain and blood discharge!

Hemorrhoids during pregnancy

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Hemorrhoids – a disease resulting from the overflow of blood in the venous plexuses located in the anus. It is these dilated, altered veins that are called hemorrhoids.

During pregnancy, the uterus increases significantly in volume, and by the time of delivery it occupies a large part of the abdominal cavity. Some organs – the stomach, liver, loops of the small and large intestines – due to their mobility, are shifted upwards. The rectum cannot change position and therefore, as it were, is pressed against the uterus.

The venous vessels located in the pelvic area are also clamped, which leads to stagnation of blood in them, and as a result, there is a threat of hemorrhoids.

Clinical symptoms of hemorrhoids during pregnancy do not differ from those in the normal course of the disease. Most often it is pain in the anus, rectal bleeding and anal itching.

Some women consider the appearance of hemorrhoids during pregnancy or after childbirth inevitable and are in no hurry to visit a doctor, mistakenly believing, especially in the early stages of the disease, that hemorrhoids are harmless. But that’s not the case at all!

Hemorrhoids, in addition to discomfort, can disrupt the normal course of pregnancy, and also complicate childbirth and the postpartum period. Therefore, in any case, it is necessary to prevent its possible complications.

Often in pregnant women, hemorrhoids are detected in the asymptomatic stage – they do not manifest themselves in any way and do not bother, but during examination, hemorrhoids are found in typical places on the walls of the anal canal.

Even if during the whole pregnancy hemorrhoids did not cause any disturbance to the woman, the childbirth can provoke its sharp exacerbation.

To avoid unwanted exacerbations in the future, it is very important to diagnose the disease in time.

An antenatal clinic doctor who has diagnosed hemorrhoids in a pregnant woman should consult with a doctor when drawing up the tactics of managing pregnancy and childbirth.

If you have doubts about your health in this area, you should go to the doctor and start treatment. Timely prescribed treatment and preventive measures make it possible in many cases to prevent the further development of this disease, complications in childbirth and the postpartum period.

TREATMENT OF HEMORRHOIDS IN PREGNANT WOMEN

According to the “depth of occurrence” distinguish between internal and external hemorrhoids.

Internals form inside the rectum, so they are not visible on simple examination. Bleeding from internal hemorrhoids is more abundant than from external ones.

External hemorrhoids are located directly inside the anus, more often falls out, more difficult to empty the intestines due to significant pain.

Given the variety of forms and stages of hemorrhoids, the course of the disease, the possibility of complications, the selection of treatment should be individual and carried out by a qualified proctologist.

It should be especially noted that during pregnancy, the treatment of any disease must be treated with special attention. Special antihemorrhoidal suppositories can only be used after consulting a doctor, as many of them contain potent drugs that penetrate into milk.

During this period, in no case should you self-medicate – any actions, the use of any medications, must be strictly agreed with the appropriate doctor.

What is not contraindicated in the normal way of life during pregnancy can have a negative effect on the fetus. Therefore, only a doctor can treat pregnant women! Self-employment is prohibited here.

After childbirth, hemorrhoids seem to “fall off”. But this does not mean that it is not necessary to treat hemorrhoids! The nodes themselves will not return to their original state.

Do not close your eyes to your “delicate” problem, so that you do not have to regret later.

When hemorrhoids have already appeared, it will still have to be treated. Therefore, the fight against hemorrhoids should be started immediately, without leaving this matter for later. The sooner you see a doctor, the “less blood” it will cost you.

It is necessary to know that no home methods help from large hemorrhoids.

During pregnancy, every effort must be made to prevent the aggravation of the disease and the development of complications (thrombosis, bleeding, strangulation, etc.). All this is done under the supervision of a proctologist (surgeon).

During pregnancy, hemorrhoidectomy and minimally invasive methods of treating hemorrhoids (sclerotherapy, ligation of hemorrhoids with latex rings) are contraindicated. Thus, the method of choice for hemorrhoids in pregnant women is conservative therapy.

The tactics and terms of surgical treatment of a pregnant woman are developed strictly individually. If the condition of the pregnant woman allows, then doctors try to postpone all these interventions for the period when the woman recovers from childbirth.

Emergency hospitalization and surgical intervention during pregnancy is performed only with threatening complications: infringement and necrosis of prolapsed hemorrhoids, or with heavy hemorrhoidal bleeding.