Hemorrhoids and Anal Fissures During and After Pregnancy

Perianal symptoms, including hemorrhoids, anal fissures, discharge, bleeding, and pain, are common among women who have recently given birth. In a prospective observational cohort study to assess incidence of and risk factors for perianal disease in pregnancy, investigators in Lithuania examined 280 pregnant women (44% pregnant for the first time, 56% repeated pregnancies) at a university hospital and outpatient clinics during the first and third trimesters, immediately after delivery, and 1 month postpartum.

In all, 44% of participants developed perianal symptoms; of these women, 93% had hemorrhoids and 6% had hemorrhoids and anal fissures. More than half of the women with hemorrhoids had thrombosed hemorrhoids. The mean weight of newborns …