Piles During Pregnancy
Reasons for piles in pregnancy
There are a number of reasons why pregnancy piles affect mums-to-be:
- Your body has more blood circulating around it during pregnancy – making all your veins a little more dilated. Unfortunately that means the delicate veins around your bottom may get sluggish and swollen too, especially when your ever-growing uterus is putting extra pressure on them.
- Straining to go to the toilet is a common cause, so if you’reconstipated like many mums-to-be, eating an extra fibrous diet and drinking lots of water should help your haemorrhoids.
Piles medication
Unfortunately, there's only a limited selection of medication you can take for piles during pregnancy, so ask your doctor which piles cream, ointment or suppository you could use.
Self-help
Piles medication isn’t the only answer – here are a few other things you can try to speed up your recovery:
- Ease the pressure on your abdomen by lying on your left side every few hours if you can. About 20 minutes of putting your feet up should do the trick.
- Avoid perfumed soaps, talcs or wet wipes. Wash your bottom with plain water after each bowel movement and dry yourself well. Loose fitting cotton underwear will help you feel fresh.
- Go to the toilet whenever you feel the urge – don't put it off!
- Avoid straining and constipation
- Try a little gentleexercise to improve your general circulation.
- Avoid too much sitting or standing and relax in a warm bath if you're troubled by itching. If that doesn't suit you, some people recommend an ice pack instead.
Read More
Ask Our Careline
Whatever’s on your mind, we’re here to help