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Hemorrhoids And Pregnancy

 

No matter how wonderful the news that you are going to have a baby is, there are certain things which are less pleasant and you will have to confront during the pregnancy: hemorrhoids are part of these things. Unfortunately, most pregnant women meet this problem and even more if they live a sedentary life and a diet full of fats or if they are older. According to some statistics, women who were pregnant at least once in their lifetime encountered this problem five times more often than women who didn’t get pregnant.

Circulatory and gastro-intestinal diseases (especially constipation) and a sedentary life (pregnant women tend to sit down more often) lead to the appearance of hemorrhoids during pregnancy. Hemorrhoids and pregnancy are more interconnected when the woman is over 30 years old (the chances for hemorrhoids to appear are doubled and sometimes tripled), especially when the woman is in her second or third pregnancy. It is not the actual pregnancy that determines the appearance of this delicate problem, but it just favors its appearance.

Given the advanced state of medicine, hemorrhoids that appear during pregnancy don’t quite cause a problem that requires a lot of concern and attention – it is more like an unpleasant condition than a serious one. Nevertheless, this problem can lead to serious complications at birth and after birth – especially if the woman gave birth naturally. Because of the compression of blood vessels, nodules can be formed. To avoid complications, you should have complete tests even after the first medical consultation and periodically afterwards: tests of the large intestine, rectoscopy and anamnesis. If hemorrhoids are detected, you have to follow the exact medical advice: the doctor can recommend you medication that won’t harm your baby and will tell you how to carefully maintain your intimate hygiene. Don’t try to follow any kind of treatment that is not recommended by your doctor.

Besides hemorrhoids, pregnant women often get varicose veins. If you are a pregnant woman and your mother had these affections, there is a high risk that you will also have them, so it is important to try to take certain measures. If you often get constipated during pregnancy (which is actually a frequent problem for any pregnant woman) ,you should know that it favors the appearance and the aggravation of hemorrhoids.

How will you know that you have hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids during pregnancy are no different from hemorrhoids that appear in other situations. The symptoms and their manifestations are the same. Therefore, you can realize that you have this problem if you feel any pain, itching and even bleeding in the anus, but also just a slight sensation of discomfort when you sit down, or when you go to the toilet. Anyway, hemorrhoids can also appear even if you do not feel any of these symptoms. That is why it is recommended to make a rectoscopy to detect the nodules that appear inside – therefore, you will protect yourself from the possibility of having certain complications after you give birth.

What do you have to do in this situation?

As I said earlier, it is very important to try not to take into account any advice you get from an unauthorized person. First of all, before you detect this problem, try to avoid it. Do this by: adopting a daily program of physical exercises, not having a sedentary life and especially sitting too much on a chair (when you feel tired, lay down on the bed, instead of sitting on a chair), walking whenever you have the chance (instead of taking the bus for two stations, try to walk). The diet you choose is also extremely important. Combat constipation by adopting a diet which is based on fruits, fresh vegetables and lots of natural liquids. Avoid fat and spicy food products.

However, despite the fact that you adopt a healthy diet, that you make constant physical exercises and sometimes despite the young age, hemorrhoids still appear during pregnancy. From now on, you should only follow the medical advice. If you have hemorrhoids, but you did not experiment any of the symptoms (pain, itching, bleeding) it means you have asymptomatic hemorrhoids. This is a light condition which usually does not necessitate any treatment, but only a few hygiene measures, such as: physical exercises, walking, tea baths, enemas and diets that contain fibers and no spices (salt, pepper or paprika).

If you have experienced bleeding, pain or itching in the anus, you have to follow the same prescriptions above, to which there will probably be added a certain type of medication. There are rare cases when hemorrhoids have advanced so much that surgery is needed. This is unavoidable only when the nodules come out and the bleedings are frequent and abundant. The surgery will take place after birth and it is usually risk free.

However, hemorrhoids during pregnancy don’t usually represent anything else but an unpleasant situation, especially after birth. Therefore, in order to prevent any complications after you have given birth follow the same strict hygiene, the same diet with vegetal fibers, the same program with easy physical exercises and avoid having a sedentary life. The unpleasant sensations will diminish in time, until they will fully disappear, but only if you take care of yourself.

 

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