So ... piles? TMI :(

[elderberryspokes]

Furiously embarassed about this but here goes...

27 weeks pregnant. I've never had them before, but they arrived about two weeks ago and seem to be getting steadily bigger. I've just come back from a wedding (11:30 am - 10pm, lots of standing up and mingling) and feel like my bum is on fire!! Going to the toilet is like pooing nails!

Is there anything I can do to ease the pain / itching?

I know I should go to the doctors, but being rather enormously pregnant (god knows how much bigger I'm going to get in the next 13 weeks) I can't actually ... maintain things ... down there, and am quite traumatised by the prospect of my (male) GP examining my hairy bumhole [blushes]

In my desperation, I've been begging DH to, well, shave the area for me, in the hope that this would do something to relieve the itching, but he's already caught one glimpse of the pile, in its nascent state, and has refused to do anything that would require him to look again. He's not usually squeamish so from this I have deduced that whatever is down there looks pretty horrific.

Apologies if I have made you all a little bit sick, but as you can see I am quite desperate. I can't stand / sit still!

Any advise would be very gratefully received x

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This thread is a few years old. If you've found this page in search of treatments and advice managing haemorrhoids during pregnancy from fellow Mumsnet users, you might find our guide to piles in pregnancy useful. Hope this helps! MNHQ 💐

Go to your GP ASAP and get some cream. I doubt they will examine you - mine didn't when I had piles in pregnancy, just took my word for it!
You have my sympathies, piles are the worst.

Don't shave, you might make the itching worse.
While your there you might want to ask your GP for some laxatives at the same time if you're needing to strain as this will make the pile worse.

Get Anusol, the suppositories as well as cream. My midwife said they were good for treating the piles internally as well as externally.

And get Lactulose, it is a very gentle laxative safe to use in pregnancy. Take a small amount every day if necessary to make sure you go - my constipation only got worse and worse throughout my pregnancy.

I'm pretty sure you can get both of those over the counter so no need to see GP? Or your midwife could prescribe if you've an appointment coming up. In any case I doubt your GP would need to have a look, he will probably take your word that they are there!

Last time and this time I've just spoken to the GP over the phone and requested some cream and the prescription has been done for me.

Even if your GP won't do it that way, chances are he won't ask to examine you.

Try not to worry about what things look like down there though. Your GP and midwives will honestly not care!

Yes to laxatives also. Or prunes etc if those sort of things work for you. You really need to try and avoid straining.

A great bit of advice I read on here when suffering from a similar ..er.. problem - clean yourself with sensitive baby wipes

Thanks all :) Next MW appointment is in a couple of days so I will see if I can get a prescription then. In the meantime I'll follow MissRabbit's advice and get some extra sensitive baby wipes :)

Get the flushable toilet wipes rather than baby wipes, they don't flush well! My poor dad had to unblock their stench pipe....and got covered in...yeah......after thy had been flushing baby wipes, the Andrex aloe Vera ones are good for 'soothing'

Just to give you hope, on Thursday I woke up with an excruciatingly painful and huge haemorrhoid. I was supposed to be having a fun day shopping and by the end I rolled home in so much pain I was nauseous and had to lie down all evening. I had got some Boots ointment but it didn't have the instant painkilling properties I was looking for! A long bath helped but next morning it was very sore again. I went for a shortish walk and that set it off again. From advice on here on old threads, I took lots of baths and yesterday morning bought suppositories and the Anusol HC cream over the counter. Today I am much, much better. The pain is almost gone unless I touch it directly and I can stand, sit and walk without discomfort. I just hope it does go as I am 38+2 and am rather nervous about what giving birth would do to it as it is - it could end up larger than my head! I can push it in for short periods and will keep on trying in the hope that it stays put. I had one pile at the every end of my first pregnancy but it was completely painless and went away immediately my baby was born, so this has taken me by surprise.

I really understand the pain associated with piles. I had them terrible with my second pregnancy and still have bouts of suffering with them 15 months later.

You need to buy some anusol and rub it internally and externally. It's really important you squeeze it inside too to shrink the internal ones. Also I agree with the lactulose suggestion, but don't over do it because lactulose sucks up the extra fluids in your stomach which can cause other problems. Make sure you drink loads of water if you take lactulose.

My midwife in hospital told me to eat a handful of All Bran every morning to keep things "soft" and it really worked. Also, try to do your pelvic floors clenching your anal muscles first and holding it. Whenever I get a flare up I start doing them religiously and it helps them go away.

You can get special wipes with Preparation H (pile cream) soaked in to them. Using them, plus Anusol cream and suppository should sort out your piles in a matter of a few days. Bran flakes and prune juice for breakfast.

Long walks/standing Kate in pregnancy can set them off so take it easy.

Don't be upset if they pop back out when you give birth....again, should only take a day or two to sort.