What should pregnant mothers do if they have hemorrhoids? Don’t be afraid! The doctor will teach you how to be a “hemorrhoid healing system” pregnant mother!

During the special period of nurturing a new life, the mother's body will undergo a series of changes, among which hemorrhoids are not uncommon. Let's first look at Ms. Li's experience.

Ms. Li is a 35-year-old pregnant woman who successfully conceived through the first artificial insemination, but the fertilized egg implanted in a low position, and the doctor advised her to stay in bed to prevent threatened abortion. At 30 weeks of pregnancy, she suffered from severe hemorrhoid problems due to long-term bed rest, lack of activity, poor sleep, irritability, and a preference for spicy food.

She had fewer bowel movements, difficulty defecating, anal tumors that could not be retracted, blood dripping after defecation, and unbearable anal pain. She was worried that hemorrhoids would endanger the fetus, so she went to many hospitals but could not get effective treatment. Finally, she came to the Anorectal Department of Hunan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine) to seek treatment of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and her symptoms were significantly improved.

1. What are the pathogenesis of hemorrhoids during pregnancy?

1. Changes in physiological structure

As the gestational age of pregnant women continues to increase, the size of the fetus and the amount of amniotic fluid increase, which will increase the intra-abdominal pressure and lead to venous congestion.

2. Changes in hormone levels

The increase of progesterone in the body during pregnancy will cause the elasticity of veins to decrease, making the occurrence of hemorrhoids more likely.

3. Lifestyle factors

During pregnancy, women tend to sit or lie down for long periods of time and have less activity, which can easily cause constipation. Difficulties in defecation can block venous return to the rectum and anus, further aggravating the occurrence of hemorrhoids.

2. How to deal with hemorrhoid attacks in pregnant women?

Wu Mingsheng, director of the Anorectal Department , said that hemorrhoids are common during pregnancy. Here are some treatment methods:

1. General treatment

(1) Adjust your diet

Increase dietary fiber intake, eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, such as broccoli, apples, oats, etc., to keep bowel movements smooth and prevent constipation from increasing abdominal pressure and aggravating hemorrhoids. At the same time, drink plenty of water, at least 1500-2000 ml per day, to promote intestinal peristalsis. Recommended medicinal foods include radish and crucian carp soup, and teas such as Wuhua Qingyu tea.

(2) Change your lifestyle

Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time, and get up and move around regularly to promote blood circulation. You can take a warm bath for 5-10 minutes every night (not recommended in the third trimester), which can relieve pain and swelling and reduce inflammation. In addition, choose comfortable and breathable cotton underwear to avoid tight pressure on the anus.

2. Drug treatment

(1) Topical medications

You can use compound carrageenan ester suppositories or some anti-edema and analgesic topical creams as prescribed by your doctor (ointments containing musk borneol are not recommended for pregnancy over 35 weeks). These can relieve pain, swelling and bleeding symptoms to a certain extent and are relatively safe and effective.

(2) Oral medication

If hemorrhoids cause severe pain and other symptoms, you can use acetaminophen and other drugs to relieve pain with caution under the guidance of a doctor. You can take appropriate drugs such as lactulose to assist in defecation and Maizhiling tablets to eliminate edema. If anemia exists, you can take iron supplements to correct anemia.

3. Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment

There are many kinds of traditional Chinese medicine treatments for hemorrhoids in pregnant women, which are mainly divided into two types: internal treatment and external treatment:

(1) Internal treatment

It is mainly treated by taking Chinese herbal medicine slices. Here we must strictly follow the contraindications of Chinese medicine for pregnant women in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. For the first three months and the last three months of pregnancy, it is advisable to prohibit the use of blood-breaking drugs and use blood-activating drugs with caution. Generally, oral treatments such as Liangxue Dihuang Decoction and pain-relieving Rushen Decoction are given according to the syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine. It is generally not recommended to take it for a long time. Those with combined defecation difficulties can take Ma Ren Wan or Bian Ke Tong appropriately.

(2) External treatment

The treatment is mainly through small needle knife pricking, local surface anesthesia or acupuncture anesthesia to reposition hemorrhoids, microwave Chinese medicine directional drug penetration treatment or ironing treatment, local Ba Liao acupoint acupuncture through lifting, inserting, twisting and pressing and other deficiency-tonifying and excess-draining acupuncture treatment to achieve satisfactory results. For those who cannot sit in a bath, they can be given detoxification soup wet compress to reduce swelling and relieve pain.

Experts advise

Director Wu Mingsheng reminds: If the symptoms are not relieved after the above conservative treatment, such as hemorrhoids prolapse and cannot be reduced, incarceration occurs, leading to tissue necrosis or infection, or severe bleeding causes anemia and drug treatment is ineffective, you should immediately seek help from a professional anorectal physician. As a national TCM specialty, the Anorectal Department of Hunan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine) will provide patients with high-quality, efficient and safe diagnosis and treatment services with rich clinical experience and superb medical skills, so that pregnant mothers can spend this special period with peace of mind.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Liu Jing, Anorectal Department, Hunan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

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(Edited by YT)