What to do if pregnant women have hemorrhoids

What should a pregnant woman do if she has hemorrhoids? We should first have a brief understanding of hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are divided into internal hemorrhoids, external hemorrhoids, and mixed hemorrhoids. In severe cases, there may be blood in the stool and it is very painful. It is uncomfortable to sit or stand. Ordinary people feel very uncomfortable with hemorrhoids, especially pregnant women will suffer even more. Pregnant women are more likely to suffer a recurrence of hemorrhoids during pregnancy than usual. Everyone knows that pregnant women should not take medication casually, so they don’t know what to do.

There are actually some medicines that pregnant women can use if they have hemorrhoids. Pregnant women should go to the hospital for treatment, and the doctor will give them some medicines that can be used. Hemorrhoids can recur and are quite troublesome, so there are many things to pay attention to in daily life. Try to avoid or prevent the recurrence of hemorrhoids so that pregnant women will not be troubled by hemorrhoids during the ten months of pregnancy.

First of all, we need to understand what hemorrhoids are during pregnancy

Pregnant women are a high-risk group for hemorrhoids. The incidence of hemorrhoids in pregnant women is as high as 76%. This can be scientifically explained. Although hemorrhoids are called "hemorrhoids", they are completely different from infectious abscesses in other parts of the body. They are venous clusters formed by the expansion, bending and bulging of the hemorrhoidal venous plexus in the mucosa of the lower rectum and the deep surface of the anal skin. Its occurrence is related to compression of hemorrhoidal veins, poor blood flow and external stimulation.

Five taboos for pregnant women with hemorrhoids

First, avoid eating too much meat and fish and stay away from greasy food. The diet should be light, and fruits and vegetables are indispensable choices.

Second, avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time, avoid maintaining one posture for a long time, and do some appropriate exercise.

The third taboo is to be afraid of illness and avoid seeing a doctor. Due to shyness, people are too embarrassed to seek medical treatment. If treatment is delayed for a long time, it will cause great harm.

Fourth, avoid taking constipation lightly, thinking that it is a minor illness that will not cause any harm. Hemorrhoids are often caused by constipation, which should be prevented.

The fifth taboo is to take medicine blindly without a doctor's diagnosis and treatment. Pregnant women are advised not to take medication to avoid affecting the fetus in the womb.

What to do if pregnant women have hemorrhoids

Applying an ice pack (the ice pack should be soft where it contacts the skin) to the affected area several times a day can help reduce swelling and discomfort. In addition, you may also want to see a Chinese medicine doctor, who may recommend some external medicines that may help relieve discomfort for pregnant women.

Find a sitz bath and soak your buttocks in warm water. You can go to your local pharmacy or medical equipment store and ask if they sell one, or you can just buy an ordinary plastic basin at the supermarket, as long as it is clean and easy to use.

Alternate hot and cold therapy. After applying ice, take a warm water sitz bath.

After each bowel movement, wipe the affected area thoroughly with soft, unscented, clean toilet paper, but be gentle. Colored and scented toilet paper can easily irritate the skin and is best avoided. You can also slightly wet the paper towel. Many female friends find that using wet wipes is more comfortable than using ordinary toilet paper.

Ask your doctor to recommend a safe topical anesthetic or suppository containing a medicated ingredient. There are many products on the market to relieve hemorrhoids, but before using them, you should consult your doctor whether pregnant women can use them. Most products may only work in the short term (a week or less) and may lead to more severe inflammation with regular use.

Prevention of hemorrhoids in pregnant women

To prevent hemorrhoids during pregnancy, you must first develop good eating habits. You should eat more fresh vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. In particular, you should pay attention to eating more foods rich in crude fiber, such as celery, leeks, bitter gourd, radish, cabbage, etc. You should also eat more coarse grains, such as corn, sweet potatoes, millet, etc. These foods are not only rich in nutrients, but also can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and prevent feces from accumulating in the intestines.

1. Reasonable diet: Pregnant women should be careful not to eat or eat less spicy and irritating foods and condiments. At the same time, they should develop the habit of drinking more water, preferably light salt water or honey water. Pregnant women with constipation and hemorrhoids should consciously drink more water and eat more fruits and fresh vegetables. Especially vegetables and fruits rich in crude fiber. Try to eat less irritating foods such as chili, pepper, ginger, garlic, and onions.

2. Try to choose the left side sleeping position: When pregnant women adopt the left side sleeping position, it helps to avoid the enlarged pregnant uterus from compressing the abdominal aorta, inferior vena cava and ureter, relieve the pressure on the rectal veins, increase the uterine placental blood perfusion and renal blood flow, which is more conducive to the growth and development of the fetus and prevent and treat pregnancy complications such as hemorrhoids and supine syndrome, and reduce the perinatal morbidity and mortality of pregnant women and fetuses. Of course, it is impossible to maintain one posture during a long sleep. You can alternate between left and right, but it is best to lie on your left side.

3. Appropriate exercise: Pregnant women should not sit for long periods of time and should do appropriate exercise to promote blood circulation in the anorectal area. Do the anal lifting exercise (i.e. consciously contract the anus) 10 to 30 times a day. This can reduce congestion in the hemorrhoidal venous plexus, improve local blood circulation, and reduce the incidence of diseases.

4. Prevent constipation and diarrhea: Do not hold back your bowel movements for a long time. Develop a good habit of regular bowel movements. Do not read books or newspapers in the toilet while defecating. Avoid squatting in the toilet for a long time. Squatting for a long time can easily cause dilation or varicose veins in the anal canal, so as to avoid local irritation of the anus. However, the time spent squatting in the toilet each time should generally not exceed 10 minutes. If you cannot defecate in one go, you can get up and rest for a while before going again. When defecation is difficult, you can use some laxatives, such as Ma Ren Run Chang Wan, Guo Dao Tablets, etc. It is not advisable to use laxatives, and you should not use methods such as enema with high pressure to defecate, so as to avoid miscarriage or premature birth.

5. Women should avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time during pregnancy and after delivery: new methods of delivery should be used to avoid severe perineal tears. Otherwise, hemorrhoids are prone to edema and prolapse during delivery, increasing the patient's pain.

If a pregnant woman has hemorrhoids, I have a little trick that I have used for a long time and would like to recommend to everyone. It is to connect a soft water pipe with both hot and cold water to the faucet in the bathroom, and rinse with warm water after each use. It is convenient and hygienic, and it also prevents hemorrhoids from recurring easily. Pregnant women with hemorrhoids should not be shy and should seek medical attention in time. Hemorrhoids are not serious and are not a big problem. Do not wait until the symptoms become serious so as not to affect the treatment. I hope every pregnant woman can be healthy and happy.