Still Dealing With Your Pregnancy Hemorrhoids? We Can Help

Pregnancy is an exciting time when your body goes through many changes. Watching your belly grow and feeling the baby kick are fun, but nobody discusses the negative changes most experience, including hemorrhoids.

Unfortunately, hemorrhoids during pregnancy are highly prevalent and make going to the bathroom very uncomfortable. In many cases, the hemorrhoids resolve after birth, but not all the time.

If you’re still dealing with uncomfortable hemorrhoids after pregnancy, Dr. Ilyas Memon and the Texas Digestive Disease Consultants are here to help. Dr. Memon is an experienced gastroenterologist and hepatologist offering lifestyle tips, minimally invasive techniques, and surgical treatments for painful hemorrhoids.

What causes hemorrhoids in pregnancy?

Hemorrhoids are swollen and enlarged veins in or around the rectum. They can happen to anyone but are especially prevalent in pregnancy.

During pregnancy, many factors increase the pressure in your lower abdomen, which can lead to hemorrhoids. The increased pressure falls onto the veins in the anus, which engorge and swell, causing the telltale symptoms of hemorrhoids.

One of the causes of hemorrhoids during pregnancy is constipation. Hormonal changes during pregnancy cause the digestive tract to slow, which leads to constipation. The result is straining to poop, which increases pressure and leads to hemorrhoids.

An increase in the amount of blood in the body during pregnancy also contributes to hemorrhoids. The veins throughout the body have to move more blood than usual, and combined with constipation and extra pressure from the fetus, hemorrhoids can develop.

Signs your hemorrhoids haven’t gone away

Most women are happy to find out that their hemorrhoids cease to exist after they give birth — but not all women are so lucky. For some, hemorrhoids stick around even after the baby is born, causing various uncomfortable symptoms such as:

• Pain with bowel movements
• Blood on toilet paper or in the toilet
• Itching on, in, or around the anus
• Intense pain from a prolapsed hemorrhoid

The blood you may notice with hemorrhoids is usually bright red and only appears in small amounts. However, seeking treatment and care for blood in your stool or toilet paper is essential to rule out more severe problems.

Lifestyle tips to ease hemorrhoid discomfort

Plenty of lifestyle tips help you cope with hemorrhoids and prevent them from worsening. Conservative approaches to hemorrhoids after giving birth significantly decrease the symptoms of hemorrhoids. A few of the lifestyle tips Dr. Memon recommends include:

Prevent constipation

You can prevent constipation by drinking plenty of water, increasing your fiber intake, and taking over-the-counter laxatives as needed.

Take the pressure off the area

Try not to sit for long periods, as it puts more pressure on the hemorrhoids. If you do have to sit for a while, use a donut pillow to keep pressure off the anus and swollen veins.

Use medicated wipes

Medicated witch hazel wipes significantly cut down on itching and pain associated with external hemorrhoids.

Take a sitz bath

A warm sitz bath is an excellent option for managing the pain and itchiness of hemorrhoids. You only need a few inches of water to target the area around the anus.

Use natural remedies

To reduce symptoms, you can also apply baking soda, coconut oil, or witch hazel directly to the hemorrhoids. Always check with Dr. Memon before applying anything directly to the area.

Other treatments for severe hemorrhoids

For some women, lifestyle remedies and over-the-counter treatments aren’t enough to eliminate hemorrhoid symptoms. If hemorrhoids persist despite home care, Dr. Memon offers the following treatment options for long-term relief:

Hemorrhoid banding

During hemorrhoid banding, Dr. Memon slips a medical-grade rubber band over an internal hemorrhoid. The band cuts the blood supply to the vein, causing it to shrink and fall out after a few days.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive option for more severe hemorrhoids that involves Dr. Memon injecting a chemical agent into the affected veins. The chemical agent causes damage and scarring around the hemorrhoid, causing it to shrink, which usually eliminates your symptoms.

Laser treatment

Laser hemorrhoidoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that utilizes laser energy to coagulate the hemorrhoid and eliminate symptoms. It’s very safe and offers less pain, downtime, and complications than other procedures.

Surgery

A hemorrhoidectomy is a surgical procedure we use when other conservative procedures haven't worked to eliminate hemorrhoids. During the procedure, Dr. Memon makes incisions around the hemorrhoids and removes them. You may need to take off work for a few weeks and shouldn’t lift anything heavy for at least a month.

To learn more about our treatment options for hemorrhoids, call one of our conveniently located offices in Texas or request a consultation using our online booking feature.