Hemorrhoids are often a consequence of pregnancy and create additional discomfort for women already dealing with significant body changes.
At Gastro Center of Maryland, nonsurgical treatment options are available for expectant moms with moderate to severe hemorrhoids that don’t respond to home remedies.
The highly skilled gastroenterology team takes a compassionate approach to managing painful hemorrhoids, so you can feel better quickly. We can also address pregnancy-related constipation — one of the most common causes of hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids are enlarged veins in, on, or near your anus or rectum. They affect people of any age and often appear because of excess pressure on the veins caused by straining during bowel movements.
Internal hemorrhoids describe vein enlargement in the rectum, a part of the large intestine that connects to the anus. If the swollen veins are inside the anus, they are called external hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids aren’t typically harmful and won’t increase risk factors for cancer. However, hemorrhoids can cause a variety of symptoms that interfere with your quality of life, such as:
Internal hemorrhoids can also fall out of the anus (prolapsed hemorrhoid), which can be intensely painful.
Because hemorrhoids develop from pressure in the lower digestive tract, a woman’s risk for vein enlargement in the rectum or anus is significantly higher during pregnancy. This is due to factors like:
A woman’s body produces more blood during pregnancy to support the fetus. As the veins work harder to pump blood out to mother and child, the vessels can become swollen and painful.
As the fetus develops in the uterus, it increases the weight pushing on the anal veins. The added weight prevents blood from flowing through the veins easily. This leads to blood pooling inside the vein, which causes enlargement in the vessel.
Constipation describes difficulties moving your bowels to eliminate waste from the body. The condition occurs when stools are too hard or too dry to pass through the lower digestive tract, which is a common side effect of pregnancy.
Pregnant women who strain too much during a bowel movement are likely to develop new hemorrhoids or aggravate existing ones.
Our experts at Gastro Center of Maryland offer a nonsurgical hemorrhoid treatment known as banding.
The hemorrhoid banding procedure involves the placement of a small rubber band around a section of hemorrhoid that protrudes from the anus. The band effectively stops blood flow in the enlarged vein, which ultimately shrinks then falls off.
Because there are no incisions required, hemorrhoid banding is safe for pregnant women and won’t leave behind wounds or scars.
Our team focuses on keeping you comfortable during your treatment and recommends strategies you can use at home to relieve itchiness and burning until the hemorrhoid goes away. They can also discuss ways to prevent constipation and additional hemorrhoids throughout your pregnancy.
Call the Gastro Center of Maryland office near you today to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for pregnancy-related hemorrhoids. You can also use the online feature to book an appointment.
