Haemorrhoids are very common during pregnancy and childbirth
You know that your body experiences many changes during pregnancy. So it is probably not surprising to learn that having haemorrhoids during pregnancy is quite common.
When you're pregnant, there is an increase in blood circulating in your body. At the same time, high levels of the hormone progesterone relax the walls of your blood vessels.
The veins below your uterus are more likely to become swollen and stretched as the weight of your growing baby puts pressure on them. This is why you're more prone to haemorrhoids when you're pregnant. Constipation, another common problem during pregnancy, can also cause haemorrhoids.
Post pregnancy1
You may develop hemorrhoids during the third trimester of pregnancy or during labour. They may also be a result of constipation in the weeks after giving birth, when your body is shedding the extra fluid needed during pregnancy, and is making breast milk for your baby.
About 1 in 4 new mums experience haemorrhoids1.
Additional weight of your baby
How is pregnancy linked to haemorrhoids? It all comes down to abdominal pressure, which can make your blood vessels stretch and swell. The most obvious cause: the weight of your ever-growing bump!
Constipation plays a big part as well. This can be the result of doing less exercise than normal, changes in your diet, and the weight of your baby pressing on your other organs. All these things can block you up, and straining when you go to the bathroom is a very common cause of haemorrhoids. But there are several things you can do to make the development of haemorrhoids less likely.
Follow the tips on our website, take time for yourself, eat nutritious food, and exercise. This is good advice not only for haemorrhoids, but for your body and your baby.
Haemorrhoids are very common during pregnancy and childbirth.
There is plenty you can do about them
You can help relieve your hemorrhoid symptoms with over-the-counter and prescription medications. Simple lifestyle changes can help prevent haemorrhoids and make them feel less painful.
1BabyCenter, L.L.C. 2014. Accessed at: http://babycentre.co.uk