Home Treatments For Hemorrhoids
There are several things you can do to treat your hemorrhoids at home:
- Apply ice. Wrap ice or a cold pack in a cloth and apply for about 10 minutes. If you had a hospital or birth center delivery, you may have been given postnatal ice packs to bring home.
- Ask your doctor about over-the-counter treatments. Topical ointments and suppositories may provide relief. Discuss how long it’s acceptable to use a product . Only use a product approved by your healthcare provider. This is exceptionally important if you’ve had an episiotomy or tear.
- Clean the area gently, but thoroughly. Use a peri-bottle filled with warm water. Rather than using dry toilet paper, pat the area with a wet wipe. Hemorrhoid pads that contain witch hazel are often recommended, as well.
- Lie down as much as you can. Take the pressure off your backside.
- Take Tylenol or Motrin . Both are safe painkillers for breastfeeding mothers in the recommended dosages.
- Try a sitz bath. If you don’t already have one, you can purchase one at the drugstore. Sitz baths can be done several times a day. Alternatively, you could simply soak in the bathtub.
- Use unscented and dye-free hygiene products. This includes toilet paper, menstrual pads, etc.
- Add fiber to your diet. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and other foods with fiber. Fiber helps to increase bowel movements.
If you want to speed things along, there are a few other things you can do in addition to your home treatments:
How To Relieve Your Haemmorrhoids During Your Pregnancy
There are a few things that will help manage the symptoms of haemorrhoids during pregnancy:
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Maintaining a high fruit and fibre diet will help keep constipation at bay, ensuring that the haemorrhoid isnt aggravated by increased straining.
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In the same way, drinking plenty of water will have a similar benefit.
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If you can, try to avoid sitting for too long and take gentle walks to keep the blood moving around your body. This produces benefits by reducing the pressure around your bottom.
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For instant relief there are a number of creams and ointments that you can try. These are available from your pharmacy and work by numbing the haemorrhoid, reducing the itchiness that you might experience. Read our useful guide about cream and ointments.
Symptoms Of Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy
The main symptoms and signs of hemorrhoids are as follows:
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How Are Haemorrhoids Treated During Pregnancy
Because constipation worsens haemorrhoids, treatment options centre around preventing or managing constipation, or reducing pain associated with haemorrhoids.
Treatment options include the following:
- Lifestyle changes having a diet high in fibre and drinking lots of water will help ensure you dont need to strain on the toilet. External haemorrhoids can be treated by placing an icepack on the affected area to reduce swelling. Taking a warm bath may also help to reduce the pain.
- Laxatives these help ease any straining associated with constipation. They help you pass bowel movements more easily.
- Pain relief medicine paracetamol can help address pain associated with sore, swollen veins, and can be taken during pregnancy. Be sure to follow the directions for use.
- Haemorrhoid creams help address itchiness, pain or inflammation, and contain active ingredients such as corticosteroids or local anaesthetics.
Speak with a health professional such as pharmacist before using medicines or creams while pregnant.
Avoiding constipation is the best way you can reduce your chance of haemorrhoids. A healthy gut helps stop you from straining during a bowel movement. Eat a diet high in fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, and drink plenty of water.
When Should You See Your Healthcare Provider
Consult your provider if preventive efforts and home treatments don’t help, or if you have severe pain or rectal bleeding. In some cases, you may need professional help shrink your hemorrhoids.
Also, always check with your provider before taking any medication for hemorrhoids while you’re pregnant. There are a lot of hemorrhoid relief products available. Keep in mind that most of these products should be used for no more than a week to avoid such side effects as skin irritation or thinning.
For many women, hemorrhoid symptoms resolve after delivery. If they persist, surgical treatment might be recommended.
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Add Sweet Potato To Your Diet
Sweet potato is known for its laxative properties. It is rich in fibre and low in fat and cholesterol ideal for pregnant women looking for ways to prevent piles.. If you are not a diabetic, eat some sweet potato daily, to get a good dose of Vitamin C and amino acids, both of which can aid digestion. Bear in mind though, that eating more than 100 grams a day may lead to bloating, obesity and increased levels of sugar in the body.
What Are The Signs Of Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids develop when the veins in and around the anus become swollen due to the pressure caused by the weight of your pregnant uterus. The most common symptoms are anal itching and burning, and pain when you poo. Internal hemorrhoids will bleed when a hard bowel movement passes over the swollen veins. External hemorrhoids appear as swollen, bluish-coloured lumps on the outside of the anus and are painful but usually dont bleed.
Hemorrhoids tend to show up either in your first trimester or your last. In the first couple of months of pregnancy, women tend to become constipated due to hormonal changes. They strain, and we know straining is a risk factor for the development of hemorrhoids, says Arthur Zaltz, chief of obstetrics and gynaecology, and head of the Women and Babies program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. In the final trimester of pregnancy, he says, your heavy uterus puts pressure on nearby veins, causing tiny clumps of blood vessels in and around the rectum to bulge.
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How To Treat Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy
Hemorrhoids usually get better on their own after pregnancy, but there are a number of things you can do to ease any itching and pain in the meantime:
Soak your rectal area in warm water several times a day. A sitz bath, or small basin that fits over the toilet seat, can help. These devices can be purchased at most drug stores. You can also fill your regular bathtub with a few inches of warm water to create a similar effect.
Apply ice packs or cold compresses to the area several times a day. The cold can reduce swelling and help relieve pain.
Keep the anus clean and dry. Try using moist towelettes or baby wipes to gently clean the area after bowel movements. This can be more gentle than dry toilet paper.
Be sure to pat not wipe the area dry after bathing or making a bowel movement. Excess moisture can cause irritation.
Apply baking soda to the area to alleviate itching.
Apply treatments containing witch hazel. Products like Tucks Medicated Cooling Pads can help keep the area clean and relieve pain and itching around the anus.
But before you use any products, be sure to ask your doctor or healthcare provider to recommend a topical hemorrhoid cream or medicated wipe that’s safe to take during your pregnancy.
Additional reporting by Deborah Shapiro.
Causes Of Thrombosed Hemorrhoid For Pregnant Women
As the fetus grows and the pregnancy progresses, from the 25th week of pregnancy onwards, pressure from the increase in the size of the uterus and blood flow in the pelvic area increases, causing the veins in the rectal wall and anus to swell and bulge.
Pregnancy is accompanied by changes in the hormonal balance in the womans body, especially the high level of the hormone progesterone, which causes relaxation of the muscles lining the blood vessels, making them more susceptible to swelling and the appearance of hemorrhoids.
In addition to the above, each of the following usually increases the chance of developing hemorrhoids during pregnancy:
- Sitting or standing for long periods.
- Straining during a bowel movement Pregnancy hormones slow bowel movements and digestive processes, which increases the likelihood of constipation and difficulty passing stools.
- Constipation It is considered one of the most common causes of hemorrhoids, whether in pregnant women or individuals in general, constipation causes exacerbation or the appearance of hemorrhoids, as a result of muscle fatigue and additional pressure during the process of defecation, and this, in turn, puts pressure on the veins in the rectal area and causes swelling and swelling.
- Hemorrhoids may also develop after natural childbirth. The result of pushing and straining during labor.
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Thrombosed Hemorrhoid Pregnancy Treatment
Caution should be exercised in thrombosed hemorrhoids in pregnant women due to the iatrogenic effects of the drugs on the fetus. The Teratogenic Agent Reference Center, which is easy to search online here, MotherToBaby, has developed recommendations for the use of different classes of drugs during pregnancy.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , which are considered to be very effective in pain caused by hemorrhoids, and thus are officially contraindicated from the 24th week of menopause due to the risk of premature closure of the ductus arteriosus that caused it.
This recommendation also applies to aspirin and COX inhibitors In severe edema, oral corticosteroid therapy may be prescribed without risk .
Rarely, an incision or excision under local anesthesia is possible as a general rule, as these procedures are only indicated in cases of an individual non-swollen external thrombosed hemorrhoid.
In all cases, the regulation of intestinal transit is indicated, it uses mucilages, osmotic or oily laxatives which are not absorbed and therefore harmless to the fetus. The preventive efficacy of this type of treatment for thrombosed hemorrhoid disease has not been evaluated.
However, two Chinese studies support the recommendations for Clinical Practice concerning hemorrhoidal disease validating their use. Specialties containing a corticosteroid and/or a local anesthetic should be favored for their anti-edematous and analgesic effect.
Home Care For Hemorrhoids In Pregnancy
One of the most recommended treatments involves a high-fiber diet. This is mostly done to achieve an easy and soft stool to prevent strain or pressure. Drinking sufficient quantities of water to keep the bowel movement going is also highly recommended. Other common home remedies include the following.
- A sitz bath can ease the itching, pain, or any sort of irritation and get the blood flow going.
- Ice packs or pads of witch hazel could be used to reduce swelling and also soothe the pain.
- Sitting or standing for long periods of time exerts pressure on the veins. Frequent body movement, such as walking or Kegel exercise, can relieve the pressure. This may also help with constipation .
- You may use pregnancy-safe creams or medications for external or internal hemorrhoids as prescribed by your doctor.
- In order to avoid straining during constipation, stool softeners are sometimes prescribed for ease of pressure.
- Change in the sleep position could also help. Sleeping sideways might induce a better blood flow .
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Treating Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy
What Can You Do To Prevent Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy
The best thing to do to prevent hemorrhoids during pregnancy is to avoid getting constipated. If you are constipated, avoid straining during bowel movements.
Try the following to prevent constipation:
- Eat a high fiber diet
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Do not delay going to the bathroom
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
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How To Get Rid Of Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy Naturally
Here are some home remedies for hemorrhoids during pregnancy that will help you to reduce the pain and manage the hemorrhoids without many issues.
Warning: The remedies mentioned here are only to be used externally and should not be inserted into rectum or used as suppository unless otherwise mentioned.
#1. Hot Hip Bath
A warm soak is a quick relief for the pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.
Simply soak in the hot hip bath for 15 minutes twice a day to relieve pain, itching, and burning. This allows to keep the rectal area clean.
Softly pat dry the area with a clean cotton cloth or soft tissue as any moisture content in that area makes the skin more irritated.
#2. Ice Cubes
Another rapid remedy for hemorrhoids is using ice cubes.
What you can do is wrap up an ice cube in a cotton cloth and apply on the affected area for few minutes.
Ice can make that region numb and thus painless. Do this few times during the day and it will reduce the swelling and pain.
#3. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a wonder-working oil due to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
Dip and apply some pure coconut oil using a cotton ball on the inflamed area especially after the bowel movement. Repeat this remedy twice or thrice daily and this oil gives you a soothing relief.
#4. Almond Oil
Almond oil also works fine to cure hemorrhoids.
#5. Witch Hazel Solution or Pads
Has anyone heard about witch hazel solution or pads?
#6. Aloe Vera
#7. Lemon Juice
#8. Potatoes
#9.Garlic
#11. Radish
Preventing Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy
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What Causes Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy
Pressure from your enlarging uterus starting around week 25, plus increased blood flow to the pelvic area, can cause the veins in the rectal wall to swell, bulge and itch.
Constipation can aggravate, or even cause, hemorrhoids .
Hemorrhoids may also develop postpartum as a result of pushing during labor.
Causes Of Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy
Generally, the underlying cause of hemorrhoids is often unknown. However, constipation is the main cause and major contributing factor that can cause hemorrhoid during pregnancy. Constipation results in straining during the evacuation. It increases the pressure in the lower rectum. The increased pressure in lower rectum causes stretching of veins around the anus, which may swell or bulge. There are several other factors that can contribute the same pathology. These include:
In addition to constipation and other factors listed above, hemorrhoid can also develop in pregnant women due to physical and hormonal changes during pregnancy. When a woman becomes pregnant, she goes into a series of changes, which contribute to the development of piles.
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