Hemorrhoids can strike anyone, young or old, male or female. But certain changes can spike the incidence of these troubling visitors, including such lifestyle shifts as weight gain, increased inactivity, and pregnancy.

Of these three, pregnancy is the hardest to avoid, not least because a great majority of pregnant people become that way on purpose. What can women expect in the way of new symptoms when they’re expecting? This account includes some harrowing passages, including:

Hemorrhoids, ladies and gentlemen (and soon-to-be-moms). They’re the gifts that keep on giving (and multiplying) after having a baby. Imagine going through your day, feeling a throbbing pain in one of the most sensitive areas of your body. That’s putting it mildly. Let’s just say sometimes I think my hemorrhoids actually have heartbeats. It hurts to sit. Or wear thongs.

The thrust of the article is not just that hemorrhoids can appear during pregnancy, but that they can persist long after the pregnancy is over. It is true that once these vessels have been stretched or strained, your chances of contracting a second case of hemorrhoids may increase.

Pregnancy causes the blood volume to increase and as a result, the skin must expand to accommodate that blood volume expansion. This occurs all over the body, including the skin around the anal opening, called the perianal skin. This is the location where external hemorrhoids and aesthetically unpleasing anal skin tags develop. Additionally, some women suffer constipation during pregnancy, causing them to push with their bowel movements. The excess pushing further leads to swollen hemorrhoids and worsening of the anal skin tags.

When topical treatments and medical management no longer do the trick, it’s time to visit your Newport Beach hemorrhoid doctor and expert proctologist. Call us today to schedule an appointment and treat your pregnancy hemorrhoids for good.