What? Hemorrhoids With Pregnancy?

Hemorrhoids are uncomfortable and embarrassing. The itching and burning, the pain and bleeding. No one wants to have to deal with them. And this is especially true when you're pregnant. We know about and expect the swollen ankles and heart burn but not many people talk about the possibility of hemorrhoids.

So why do they occur and what exactly are hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids are a weakening and swelling of veins in the lowest part of the intestinal track. When they are inside (internal hemorrhoids), they are invisible. But you can have symptoms of pain, and bleeding down there.

Other times you may have a bulge with itching, burning and pain or bleeding. This is an external hemorrhoid. These ones are much easier to spot and tend to be more uncomfortable than the first variety, due to the way that they protrude.

However, both types of hemorrhoids have similar causes. Constipation is the main culprit sited in the literature for causing hemorrhoids. Other causes are heavy lifting, sitting for long periods (especially with poor posture) and age. Pregnancy is one of the less talked about causes but just as valid as any of the others.

The veins that responsible for this condition are actually supposed to assist with the sliding motion of bowel movements. However, when they become damaged or inflamed they bulge outward and can become even more irritated by continued friction of hard bowel movements, clothes, and wiping or internal pressures.

This is how pregnancy can end up being one of the causes of hemorrhoids. As the child grows inside you, there is greater and greater internal pressure. This causes slowing of the intestinal tract and constipation and also creates a mechanical force that is pushing outward on the pelvic floor. You can feel this most easily in the bladder area with an increased need for frequent urination. The same kind of pressure is occurring on the intestinal tract as well.

So what can you do about hemorrhoids?

Well, there are creams and ointments to apply that will reduce the swelling, itching and burning but they are only temporarily effective besides being messy and expensive. More permanent solutions are to drink lots of water, get more exercise, eat a lot more fiber and sit on donut shaped cushions.

Drinking water helps to decrease the constipation that can be a causal or aggravating factor with hemorrhoids. However, when you're pregnant drinking lots of water means even more frequent trips to the bathroom and so pregnant women often cut back in this area even though they know that they should be drinking more.

Likewise, exercise is very helpful in increasing the motility of the bowel and decreasing constipation. Here again, pregnant women have a harder time of it than the general public. They're increased girth makes it difficult and somewhat counter productive to exercise on land where they have increased abdominal and pelvic floor pressures. Water is the optimal place for you to exercise when pregnant. It decreases the pelvic floor pressure and actually unweights the intestinal track allowing better bowel movements.

Fiber, in the form of vegetables and fruits, should be a mainstay for the pregnant woman who is trying to prevent or eliminate hemorrhoids. It softens bowel movements and increases their frequency.

Cushions, donut shaped, help to correct sitting posture and unweight the effected area which is especially helpful with treating external hemorrhoids. Any extra pressure or friction over a hemorrhoid will only continue to aggravate it.

Practically, besides the above mentioned remedies, try to wear loose clothing and don't scratch at it, no matter how much it itches. You'll only cause more aggravation to the effected area. Likewise, be very careful when you are washing or wiping down there. These tissues can be very delicate when they're swollen and can easily tear and begin bleeding.

Anytime that you are dealing with bleeding hemorrhoids, extra care must be taken. You should think of it as an open wound, which in fact it is, but in an extremely hazardous area. Face it, there are just naturally a lot of germs exiting from that area and if you have bleeding down there it means that there is a path for those germs to get back inside you and cause a serious infection.

So what if you've tried creams and ointments, the water and vegies and you've still got the itching, burning and possibly bleeding going on down there?

Then you may want to look into natural supplements that strengthen and repair venous system.