Nice sexy subject for a Saturday night......piles!

[Toffee86]

Hi,

I'm 37 weeks pregnant and yesterday had the fortune of discovering a large pile. Sorry for TMI but I had a rich curry on Friday night and seemed to pay for it 4 or 5 separate times yesterday and this seems to have aggrevated things or at least to the point its now noticeable (and painful!) to me. I think I generally have a good diet (Friday night was an exception!) but I have been taking iron tablets which have made me a little constipated at times.

Does anyone have any tips for managing the pain this bad boy is causing!? I'm also really worried now about having to go to the loo next .....any advice is appreciated because the last thing I want is another one.

X

I had this in my first pregnancy. Anusol cream really helped. They cleared up really quickly after I’d had the baby.

I've never had hemorrhoids in my life until 3 weeks ago when I've discovered one at 32 weeks. Same as you I have a good diet so not sure what triggered them but now 1 became 2. Both are external, don'tknow if i have any internal ones as well. I spoke with my midwife about it and she recommended Anusol. Ive been using it for a week now but i can't see any improvements in their size but at least they didn't grow any bigger.
Hope all goes well.

Ahh, piles. You’re not alone OP! One of the less great parts about pregnancy (are there any great parts except the baby at the end?!).

I’ve been using Andrex wet wipe loo paper - so much more comfortable than dry loo roll, which can really aggravate them when you wipe, and they help keep the whole area really clean which is so important with piles. I keep a pack in every bathroom and a pack in my handbag for when I am out. They are flushable.

Then follow up with a schmear of anusol. You should be able to get this free in the pharmacy since you’re pregnant (unless that’s just a Scottish thing?). Rub some in every time you go to the loo and before bed - it really helps with the pain and itching, and should shrink them down.

That’s all I usually need to manage mine, but I’ve heard other people recommending a spitz Bath. Never tried it though!

You can also try to take preventative action - lots of fibre in your diet so you aren’t straining or suffering diarrhoea. I also highly recommend a squatty potty - awful name, but it’s basically just a step which sits under you loo and raises your feet, which unkinks your bowel and makes your position much more natural for pooing (humans were designed to squat to poo, not sit down - the squatty potty just puts you in a more natural position than the loo does).

Hope you’re on the mend soon!

Thank you lovely ladies for your supportive messages - lots of good ideas in there but also good to know I'm not alone!

I'm off to the shops for Andrex wet wipe and anusol and then going to hope for the best. I'm booked in for a section in a fortnight so I'm hoping this is a short lived thing!

Good luck for safe delivery of all your babies :) X

Get the wipes that are wet with water not perfumed!

Also a sanitary towel in the freezer makes a nice cool compress and I’ve even used bepanthum when the skin gets sore.

is very good. Are you taking anything like prune juice to keep things... ‘soft’?

Poor you - they are hellishly sore but people just snigger when you mention them!