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Pregnancy piles? Here’s how to treat them

Piles, or haemorrhoids, are described as varicose veins in your bottom, and they can be painful. When these vessels are swollen, they’re likely to cause aggravation and may hang out of the anus after passing a stool. The sizes of piles vary too.

The good news is that there’s treatment for your piles which has no risk to your baby.

Piles are usually caused by strain on the area due to:

  • Constipation or diarrhoea.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Difficult bowel movements causing straining.
  • Sitting on the toilet for long periods.
  • Obesity.
  • Anal intercourse.
  • A low-fibre diet that can cause difficult bowel movements.

Why are piles during pregnancy so common?


Piles is a very common condition for women during pregnancy or labour. You’re more likely to be effected by the condition when you’re pregnant due to the change of hormones, particularly progesterone. This hormone relaxes the walls of your blood vessels and makes piles more likely to develop. Fortunately, they often clear up in days or weeks after giving birth.

Another cause for the condition is the weight of your baby as it grows. Your baby puts more pressure on your veins and along with constipation; it increases the likelihood of developing piles. If you’re concerned about the length of time you’ve had piles, speak to your doctor or midwife.

Symptoms include:

  • A hard and painful lump around the anus.
  • After passing a stool, you may experience the feeling that the bowels are still full.
  • Visible bright red blood after a bowel movement.
  • Itchy, sore and red area around the anus.
  • Pain during passing a stool.

Piles can worsen into more severe conditions like:

  • An infection.
  • An inability to control bowel movements.
  • Anal fistula (an infected tunnel that forms between the skin and anus).
  • Excessive anal bleeding which could possibly lead to anaemia.

Avoid getting piles in pregnancy

  • Be sure to drink enough fluids to avoid dehydration and constipation.
  • Eat a diet that’s high in fibre which includes fruit, veggies and wholewheat bread.
  • Exercise regularly to improve circulation.
  • While on the loo, don’t strain, take your time or try again later after drinking some water.

How to treat piles in pregnancy

  • Place a towel that’s been dipped in ice-cold water on the piles to relieve the pain and irritation around your bottom.
  • Carefully clean the area around your bottom after going to the loo. It might be easier to use moist toilet wipes rather than toilet tissue. It’ll also help to pat rather than wipe.
  • You may try and gently push the piles back into the rectum using a lubricating gel when in the bath or shower.
  • Speak to your doctor or midwife who can prescribe ointments or medication to help soothe the symptoms.

References:

What to do when a pain in the butt is a pain in the butt

You’ve been spasming, having difficulty passing a poop, or have even seen streaks of blood after a stool. Don’t panic. Anal pain, or proctalgia, is not often a sign of any major problem, but might sometimes need medical attention.

What causes anal pain?

Stress: There’s now plenty of evidence that stress can literally make you sick to your stomach, especially in the part of your digestive system that includes your rectum and anus.
Treatment: Relax! Try deep breathing, drinking warm water and massaging your tummy in clockwise circles.

Anal fissures: These are small tears in the skin of the anus, which can be caused by an especially large or hard poop, vaginal delivery, long-term diarrhoea, or an old injury. Symptoms include sharp pain or rectal bleeding or a burning pain that lasts a few hours after your visit to the toilet. You might also feel pelvic pain.
Treatment: Add more fibre to your diet and drink more water. Sometimes you may need surgery, or your doctor will prescribe an ointment. A Botox injection may also be an option.

Haemorrhoids (piles): Many pregnant women can tell you about piles, which are essentially swollen veins in your bum. These are often caused by pregnancy or appear after constipation. It’s one of the most common anal problems and mostly affects people between 45 and 65 years old. You’ll know you have piles if your bottom is itchy or you pass blood after a poop, you feel like you have lumps around your anus, or if there’s redness with pain.
Treatment: Eat more fibre and drink lots of fluids. See your pharmacist for an effective pain remedy. Sometimes blood clots in the veins need to be removed under local anaesthetic.

Anal fistulas and abscesses: If you have a fever, experience irritation around your anus, pass blood after a visit to the loo, have swelling and redness in the area, and constant pain that gets worse when you sit down, you may have an abscess or anal fistula. These are serious and you will need medical help.

Treatment: If you catch it early, you can treat the abscess with antibiotics, but a large one will need to be removed through surgery.

More serious causes of anal pain 

Proctalgia fugax involves sudden pain in the rectal and anal area that can last for up to 30 minutes or more at a time. More women than men, and those between 30 and 60 years old report it.
Treatment: Your doctor may recommend muscle relaxants.

Levator ani syndrome shows similar symptoms to proctalgia fugax but incudes pelvic muscle pain. The pain may also be felt after sex, a poop, when you are stressed, or travelling long distance.
Treatment: Pelvic muscle exercises can relieve the symptoms.

Crohn’s disease: Around 1.6 million Americans suffer this disease. Along with anal pain, symptoms can include tummy cramps, bloody diarrhoea and weight loss.
Treatment: Speak to your doctor about the right treatment for you.

Fungal or sexually transmitted infections (STI): Itching may signal a fungal infection or STI.
Treatment: To avoid these, keep the area clean and use condoms during sex. Your GP will advise any antifungals or antibiotics.

Bone problems such as tailbone pain or pain from arthritis or bone tumours.
Treatment: Your doctor will refer you to a specialist.

Prostatitis: infection or inflammation of the prostate gland is quite common.
Treatment:
Antibiotics are the go-to for this problem.

Anal cancer tumours: These aren’t common but are increasingly being reported as men practise unsafe sex, spreading the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is a cause of cervical cancer and anal cancer. The symptoms are similar to those of piles and anal fissures.
Treatment: Practising safe sex and getting an HPV vaccination can help prevent cancer. A specialist will advise treatment if these do develop.

When to see a doctor

If the pain isn’t going away, is becoming draining, and you’re still bleeding, visit your GP, who will do a rectal exam and refer you to a specialist if necessary.

References:

There’s blood in my stool: what do I do?

When your poop waves red flags, it’s important to act fast. Normal stools can have various colours, ranging from shades of brown and even green. If you take a peek while doing your business and your stool is black or streaked with red, these could be warning signs of blood in your stool.

Blood in your stool is usually caused by bleeding in the upper or lower part of your gut.

Causes for black stools

Black, tarry stools could mean you’ve taken too many iron supplements or eaten too much black liquorice. On the more serious side, you may be bleeding in the upper part of your gut, like your stomach. The blood starts clotting before you pass the stool, which is why it is black in colour.

Causes for red stools

Food with red colouring like beetroot, cranberries, tomato juice and red gelatine could make your stool red or streaked with red. Red blood in your stool could also mean that you’re bleeding in your lower intestinal tract. This is often due to piles, which could be easily treated.

Taking anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, Ibuprofen and naproxen over a long period can also cause ulcers which may lead to blood in stool.

Treatment:

Treatment for blood in stool first needs a doctor’s diagnosis, but it may include antibiotics, medication to suppress acid in the stomach and anti-inflammatory medication. In some cases, you may need surgery to remove growths that could be a sign of colon damage.

Main causes:

Black blood

  • Abnormal blood vessels.
  • A tear in the oesophagus from severe vomitting.
  • A bleeding stomach ulcer.
  • Blood supply being cut off to part of the intestines.
  • Gastritis (stomach inflammation).
  • Widened, overgrown veins in the oesophagus and stomach.

Red blood

  • Abnormal blood vessels.
  • Anal fissures (small cuts or tears in your anus).
  • Bowel ischemia (when the blood flow through the major arteries that supply blood to your intestines slows down or stops).
  • Diverticulosis (a condition in which small, bulging pouches develop in the digestive tract).
  • Haemorrhoids (piles)
  • Infection in the intestines.

Keep an eye on your stool

If you see blood in your stool, take note of the colour and frequency because your doctor will ask about it to help with a diagnosis. Moderate or severe bleeding can quickly lead to symptoms of dizziness, fainting and other signs of low blood pressure.

If you’re bleeding excessively or have other symptoms like abdominal pain, a fever, weakness, vomitting and heart palpitations, see your doctor immediately.

References:

Get relief for that itchy bottom

We get it. This isn’t a problem you’re dying to share with your friends. The good news: it’s common. But it may be important to get looked at before it becomes serious. Anal itching (the fancy term is pruritis ani) can often be so annoying that you may struggle to concentrate during normal activities. And you can’t exactly scratch that area in a public space!

In fact, scratching could make the problem worse, as you could spread bacteria to the area through your fingers. It can also lead to tears in the skin that can cause infection.

Itchy factors

  • Indigestion, diarrhoea or faecal incontinence.
  • Piles (haemorrhoids).
  • Irritation if the skin is constantly moist.
  • Too much or too little cleaning in the area.
  • Cancerous or non-cancerous growths.
  • Fungal infections caused by yeast.
  • Sexually transmitted diseases.
  • Worms (especially pinworms) in the intestines often crawl to the anus to dispose of their eggs, which can cause itching, especially at night.

If it’s something as simple as a skin irritation, the itching will clear up if you keep the area clean and dry. But other factors like infections, growths or worms will need a doctor’s help.

When to move your bum to a doctor

If there are other symptoms like bleeding, digestive problems, a change in your normal bowel movements, or stomach pain, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Don’t be embarrassed. Your doctor is used to treating these things! If you leave it, it could get worse, and might even be dangerous. Your doctor will be able to tell what the cause is, and give you the appropriate treatment.

Treatment

For irritation, your doctor may give you a cream, and for worms or an STI, antibiotics may be prescribed. If there’s something more serious, your doctor may have to do a biopsy or colonoscopy.

How to ditch the itch

  1. Wash and dry the area regularly.
  2. Avoid scented shower gels or soaps.
  3. Change out of sweaty workout clothes or sports gear immediately.
  4. Avoid underwear that makes you sweat. Stick to plain cotton briefs.
  5. Wear loose, breathable clothing and avoid too-tight skinny jeans or leggings and fabric that cause sweat.
  6. Wash your hands before you go to the bathroom to avoid spreading germs to the area.
  7. Avoid coloured or patterned toilet paper.
  8. If you’re prone to yeast infections, reduce your sugar intake and never take antibiotics without a good probiotic.

Everyone had a scratchy bottom at some point in their lives. It’s part of being human. Don’t be embarrassed – just make sure you don’t leave it too long to get checked out. And, if in doubt, why not chat to one of our doctors on the Hello Doctor app?

References

What are piles?

Haemorrhoids, or piles, are rarely dangerous or life-threatening, but they can be a pain in the butt! They can bleed, itch and even protrude … and they are quite common. Continue reading “What are piles?”