Hemorrhoids, also known as piles, develop because of pressure in the area, often from straining during bowel movements, constipation or pregnancy. Hemorrhoids can be uncomfortable and embarrassing, but they’re not contagious or harmful to sexual partners.
While sitting, straining, and a poor diet are known to trigger hemorrhoids, can anal sex cause them to flare up?
Vaginal Intercourse
Hemorrhoids can form when the veins in the rectal area become swollen and inflamed. This usually happens when you spend a lot of time on the toilet, strain during bowel movements or when your body experiences other pressure situations like constipation and pregnancy. Hemorrhoids are a very common condition that affects men and women of all ages. While avoiding things that cause stress and strain on the anus and rectum is a great way to prevent hemorrhoids, many people still experience them from time to time.
When it comes to sex and vaginal hemorrhoids, most experts recommend that you practice safe sex by using a condom or other type of protection during sexual activity. You should also practice good foreplay and make sure that you’re both aroused before penetration to make the sex more pleasurable. In addition, lubrication is a must — there are many different kinds of lubricants available to choose from that are safe and effective.
Rimming (oral sex on the anus) may be OK, but it depends on your situation and how much pain you’re experiencing with your hemorrhoids. You should avoid rimming if you have external hemorrhoids, because the anal irritation can cause them to swell and bleed. Internal hemorrhoids, on the other hand, usually can’t be seen or felt but may cause pain during urination or when having a bowel movement, painless bleeding or bright red blood in the toilet water and prolapsed hemorrhoids that are hard to sit through.
Anal Intercourse
Hemorrhoids can cause pain and itching in the anal area, especially when they swell up and clot or bleed. This can make anal sex uncomfortable or even painful. The good news is that your body is a great communicator and will let you know it’s too much pressure or friction, and you should stop. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to prevent anal sex pain. Hemorrhoid treatments like creams, suppositories, and medications can help you manage your symptoms. Also, a high-fiber diet can help you process soft stools and reduce pressure on the anal area.
While anal sex shouldn’t cause new hemorrhoids to form, it can irritate those that are already there and cause them to flare up with symptoms like itching or tenderness, says gastroenterologist Suneeta Krishnareddy, M.D. She adds that anal penetration can also irritate and tear the anal lining, which can lead to anal fissures (small tears in the anal tissue). In rare cases, a fissure may become bigger and allow stool from the bowel to pass through to other parts of the body, creating a medical emergency called a fistula.
If you want to continue with anal sex, you can minimize the risk of complications by using lubricants and practicing safe anal techniques. For example, rubbing your anus with a lubricant or an ice cube before sex can help reduce friction and itching. In addition, avoiding sitting or straining while having anal sex can help avoid hemorrhoid pain.
Sex Involvement
Hemorrhoids are blood vessels that develop in and around the anal opening. They are not caused by friction from anal sex, but by straining during bowel movements, constipation, diarrhea, pregnancy, and other factors. These cause swollen blood vessels to become irritated, resulting in pain and itching, which often leads to bleeding when wiping.
Hemorrhoid symptoms can include rectal bleeding, itching, or a feeling that there is something in the anal canal. Symptoms may be worse during the menstrual period, as the uterus contracts to help expel the lining of the womb. Progesterone levels are higher during this time, which can relax the pelvic floor muscles and lead to increased pressure on the anal veins that produce hemorrhoids.
There are two types of hemorrhoids: internal and external. Internal hemorrhoids are usually not felt and can’t be seen, but they can grow to become enlarged and protrude out of the anal canal. External hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels that sit outside of the anal opening and can be felt and be itchy. They can also bleed and form clots, which can be irritating and painful to wipe with.
Whether or not anal sex causes hemorrhoids to flare up depends on the comfort level of the participants and their expectations. If both parties are comfortable and willing to proceed, anal sex can be a fun and intimate way to spend time together. However, it is important to have good communication about comfort and to stop if either person is experiencing pain or discomfort.
Over-the-Counter Treatments
Hemorrhoids are not the most glamorous topic, but they are a pain in the ass that can happen to anyone. They can occur in the rectum (internal hemorrhoids) or around your anus (external hemorrhoids). They are not a sign of disease, but rather the body’s response to pressures that your rectum isn’t designed for. They can swell, bleed and be very itchy. Some symptoms to watch for include a small bump, blood when wiping and itching or burning during bowel movements.
Some ways to treat the symptoms of hemorrhoids are to drink lots of water and get enough fiber in your diet, which can soften stools so they’re easier to pass. Hemorrhoid creams, wipes and suppositories with ingredients such as witch hazel, phenylephrine and zinc oxide may help relieve itching and pain. They can also contain soothing agents such as lidocaine to numb the area and make it less sensitive.
Another option is to soak the anal area in a sitz bath twice a day for 10 minutes or so, using warm but not hot water. You can find sitz baths online or in pharmacies and some people choose to add Epsom salts or apple cider vinegar to the water to ease symptoms. If over-the-counter treatments don’t work, a doctor can perform a minimally invasive procedure such as rubber band ligation or hemorrhoidectomy, which cuts off the blood flow to the hemorrhoids and they shrivel and fall off.