Pregnancy Hemorrhoids

Harassment from Pregnancy Hemorrhoids

Pregnancy Hemorrhoids mainly occur 3 months before childbirth. The chance of suffering from hemorrhoids is 20-50%. Besides suffering from the back pain, pregnant women also suffer the pain of hemorrhoids. For severe hemorrhoids, hemorrhoids may rupture and bleed during natural childbirth process, and increase the childbirth pain.

Underlying causes

Growing uterus and fetus cause a continuous increasing pressure on the pelvic veins and lower body vein. The lower body venous pressure make anus, vulva and lower extremity veins to dilate causing hemorrhoids, vulvar varices, and varicose veins, vulvar varices respectively.
During pregnancy, progesterone increases, bowels move more slowly, increase the chance of constipation, causing hemorrhoids or aggravate the severity.

Symptoms

Patients with less severe hemorrhoid may feel anal pain, little bleeding from anus, lump after bowel opening, anal itchiness and anal discomfort.
Patients with severe hemorrhoid will have excessive anal bleeding or severe anal pain (Thrombosed external Hemorrhoid).
If hemorrhoids continue to enlarge, thrombose and cause more pain, patient will reduce bowel opening in order to prevent pain during defecation. With time, the stool will be more dry and hard. Patients will have severe constipation, and severe painful prolpased thrombosed hemorrhoids.

Prevention

Drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses or 2 liters a day
Eat 2 portions of fruit and 3 portions of vegetables per day
Develop a daily bowel habit, to prevent constipation
Avoid prolonged sitting or standing. Change the posture frequently
Exercise twice a week and 30 minutes each time

Is Surgery suitable for pregnant woman?

Nowadays, many researches and clinical studies indicated that many drugs,
treatments and even surgery are safe for pregnant women and the growing fetus.

Take oral drugs, to improve the venous blood circulation
Take oral drugs, to soften the stool
Anal suppository
Anal cream

Case study: 32-year-old woman took Hemorrhoidectomy to cure pregnancy hemorrhoids

A pregnant woman, 32 years old, third time pregnancy.

Hemorrhoid occurred during her first time pregnancy. As she thought it was not severe, she only used hemorrhoid ointment for conservative treatment.
This time, start from 22 weeks of pregnancy, her hemorrhoids problem gradually becomes severe. Hemorrhoid is prolapsed during bowel opening, with severe pain and bleeding. It was diagnosed as Grade 4 hemorrhoids, with thrombosis and bleeding as complications.
Hemorrhoidectomy with local anesthetic takes place immediately. It takes only 20 minutes for surgery. Hospital discharge the next day after the surgery.
Before surgery, her visual analogue scale for resting pain is 8 ( scale from 0 to 10, 0= painless, 10= most painful). After surgery, her visual analogue scale for resting pain is 0-2. One day after surgery, the scale is 1. 2-7 days after surgery, the scale is 1. Later, the scale is kept at 0.
Natural childbirth successfully and her baby is in good health.