Is This A Pain In Your Rear?

There are several reasons for pain in the anal and rectal area, including constipation, muscle spasm, anal fissure, and more. Perhaps the most common cause for pain in this region, however, is hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids affect close to 3 out of 4 adults and nearly 50% of pregnant women. 

So what are hemorrhoids? What causes them? Can you avoid them? What should you do if you get them? These are all great questions and will be answered in this two-part post. 

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the anus and lower part of the rectum. Hemorrhoids develop frequently during pregnancy and often appear during the third trimester or shortly after childbirth. Many times, home-based remedies and lifestyle adjustments can treat hemorrhoids, but sometimes more interventions are needed. 

Symptoms you may experience with external hemorrhoids are bleeding, painful bowel movements, itching, irritation, burning, swelling, a raised area of skin near your anus. If you have internal hemorrhoids, you may not notice these symptoms, but if you are straining or have irritation when passing stool you may have pain or see blood. If you experience a hard, inflamed, and more painful hemorrhoid, it may be thrombosed, where an external hemorrhoid develops a blood clot. 

Hemorrhoids usually develop from increased pressure in the lower rectum, and risk factors include straining during bowel movements, sitting for long periods of time, chronic constipation, obesity, pregnancy, eating a low fiber diet, and straining during heavy lifting. 

During pregnancy women are at increased risk for developing hemorrhoids because they have increased blood volume, leading to larger veins, pressure on the veins near the anus from the baby and growing uterus, changing hormones, and constipation. Pregnant women seem to be more susceptible to constipation. This may be due to prolonged sitting, hormonal changes, or from taking iron supplements for anemia. You may also develop hemorrhoids postpartum as a result of pushing during delivery. 

Tips to prevent hemorrhoids include: eating a fiber-rich diet (fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, legumes, whole grains), stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, avoid straining with urination and bowel movements, avoid sitting for long periods of time, especially on the toilet, try not to delay bowel movements, and move around as much as possible. Talk to your doctor if you are having trouble with constipation or don’t think you are getting enough fiber in your diet. They may direct you to take a fiber supplement such as psyllium (Metamucil) or an osmotic laxative (Miralax) to keep your bowel movements regular. 

In our next post, we will be sharing some common home remedies for hemorrhoids, so make sure to stay tuned!