Written by Dr.Bayat

Associate Professor of Orthopedic expert,Brigham Hostpital

If you have just become a mother and suffer from hemorrhoids after childbirth, we recommend that you read the following.

Hemorrhoids are natural components in the anal canal of all people that help control defecation, so hemorrhoids themselves are not a disease, but it is the inflammation and swelling of these natural tissues that is popularly known as hemorrhoids. Pregnancy is one of the most important periods in a woman's life. Due to the growth of the fetus and the increase in the size of the uterus, the pressure inside the abdominal cavity and pelvis of the mother increases and this is the factor that causes swelling and inflammation of hemorrhoids in pregnant women.

The symptoms of hemorrhoids in pregnant women usually improve after childbirth, but in some women, due to stress and pressures and delivery issues, even due to childbirth, it intensifies and persists.

In this article, we will talk about permanent hemorrhoids after childbirth.

What do you know about hemorrhoids?

Doctors say that there are cushions of the body's natural arteries in the anal canal, called hemorrhoids. These cushions become swollen and painful due to chronic constipation, excessive straining, and even chronic diarrhea, and may eventually rupture.

These swollen cushions often appear as protrusions from the anal canal, blood in the stool, and sometimes pain during defecation.

Any factor that increases the pressure inside the abdomen can cause swelling and hyperemia of these vascular cushions. Pregnancy will be one of the favorable conditions for this disorder.

Obesity is also a predisposing factor.

There are two general types of hemorrhoids:

1. Internal hemorrhoids
2. External hemorrhoids

External hemorrhoids can include large, swollen, prominent blood vessels, or blood clots inside them or so-called thrombosis.

The reason for this classification is that the tissues are different in two types of internal and external hemorrhoids. In the anus, there is a boundary between the tissue without the pain receptor at the top and the tissue with the pain receptor at the bottom.

This border is called pectinate line (dentate line) by doctors.

Internal hemorrhoids are above this line and are painless and have bleeding, swelling and protrusion.

The external hemorrhoids are below this line and have a pain receptor.

Symptoms of hemorrhoids

So the symptoms of hemorrhoids are generally:

• bleeding:

The most common symptom of internal hemorrhoids is painless bleeding.

Blood can be in the form of blood streaks in the stool or dripping on the toilet bowl after defecation.

If you have blood in the stool, you should not arbitrarily count it as hemorrhoids, but you should definitely see a doctor and be checked.

• Mass protruding from the anus:

The second most common sign and manifestation.

• the pain:

Pain occurs only in external hemorrhoids that are clotted and in advanced internal hemorrhoids that have clots and necrosis.

Feeling of incomplete excretion, inflammation and swelling of the anus, anal itching, and discharge from the anus are other symptoms of hemorrhoids.

Pregnancy and hemorrhoids:

Fetal growth in the uterus and increasing the size of the uterus puts a lot of pressure on the veins in the pelvis. Gradually, with increasing pressure, the return of blood from the veins of the thighs and legs upwards will decrease. So a kind of venous blood stasis occurs in the lower pelvis during pregnancy,

So, the bloody cushions around the anal canal, which are hemorrhoids, also become bloody and swollen.

In addition to the above, most pregnant women suffer from constipation. Chronic constipation and straining during defecation have also caused hemorrhoid disorders and swelling to become very common in pregnancy.

Finally, an increase in progesterone during pregnancy loosens the walls of the arteries and causes more blood to remain in them, and the hemorrhoidal cushions, because they are veins, become more bloody and swollen.

Doctors say that women during pregnancy are very prone to swelling and hemorrhoid disorder and this is inevitable.

The best treatment for gestational hemorrhoids

So the best treatment for gestational hemorrhoids is prevention:

• The most important action is to be physically active and eat high fiber nutrition.
• Drink at least eight glasses of water daily.
• Instead of white and fiber-free bread, use fibrous breads.
• Include fruits, vegetables and bran in food.
• Limit tea, caffeine, coffee and carbonated beverages.
• Daily walking should not be forgotten.
• Kegel exercises increase blood flow to the pelvis and reduce blood stasis inside the cushions.
• Pregnant women should avoid prolonged standing.

What can we do to improve the discomfort associated with the disorder and swelling of hemorrhoids in pregnancy?

To improve the discomfort associated with the disorder and swelling of hemorrhoids in pregnancy, you can do the following:

• Cold compresses on the anus reduce itching and discomfort, but you can sit in a hot tub several times a day.
• Do not use the medicine without your doctor's advice.

Hemorrhoids usually go away on their own shortly after childbirth, but if you had hemorrhoids before pregnancy, you may still struggle with hemorrhoids after giving birth.

There are a number of things you can do to help improve the hemorrhoids that remain after childbirth:

Here are some ways to reduce the symptoms of postpartum hemorrhoids:

• Use a cold compress:

If you have given birth and still have hemorrhoids, you can apply a cold compress, which is covered with a thin cotton cloth, on the painful area several times a day.

Cold compresses help reduce swelling and inflammation.

• Hot compress:

Choose a very clean tub and fill it with lukewarm to warm water halfway, sit in it several times a day for five minutes each time.

Both hot and cold compresses can relieve the discomfort of hemorrhoids after childbirth, each person should see which compress is more relaxing and soothing for them.

It may be best to try a hot and cold compress alternately.

• Use of suppositories and local anesthetics:

If your doctor examines you and you know you do not have anal rupture, he or she may prescribe a variety of suppositories and anal anesthetics.

The duration of use of these drugs should not be more than seven days.

Increased use of these drugs increases inflammation at the site.

If you have anal tear and episiotomy incisions after delivery, you should not use this suppository and local anesthetic at all.

• painkillers:

Acetaminophen, ibuprofen should be taken even while breastfeeding as recommended by your doctor.

• Lifestyle modification:

You should not sit for a long time.

For example, lie down while breastfeeding.

Drink plenty of water.

Eat vegetables and fruits.

In the morning, pour a few teaspoons of wheat bran in warm water and drink after softening.

Replace olive oil with fatty and industrial sauces.

Exercise, Inactivity will exacerbate constipation and chronic inflammation and swelling of the hemorrhoids.