Internal hemorrhoids occur along the inner veins of hemorrhoids. They occur from various reasons which include straining during a bowel movement, eating a low fiber and high fat diet, growing older, cirrhosis or being severely overweight. The condition causes bleeding during bowel movements and blood may be seen on toilet paper. It can also cause discomfort in the affected internal areas. While the condition is normally not painful, it could become painful if the hemorrhoids start to protrude outside the body. This can cause swelling and a rash which can cause severe discomfort. People who suffer from this ailment have increased pressure .

A doctor can diagnose internal hemorrhoids by asking a series of questions and evaluating the answers to them. A health-care provider will then perform an exam on the patient’s body and can recommend if further tests will be needed. If a more extensive exam is needed the patient will get an exam with an instrument which is called an anoscope. This tool is designed to view internal hemorrhoids for diagnostic purposes. In addition, the doctor may do other exams to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms the patent describes.

In most cases, the symptoms of internal hemorrhoids begin to disappear after a few days and can be treated without surgery. Often it is recommended that the patients who have this condition take warm baths several times a day, add more fiber to their diet, use stool softeners and relieve symptoms with over the counter remedies. Surgery is needed if the patient’s symptoms do not show improvement, there is ongoing bleeding or a protrusion occurs which is not remedied with over the counter treatments. There are different types of surgeries available for patients who have this condition. Rubber band ligation, infrared coagulation, sclerotherapy and hemorrhoidectomy are all surgical options. A health care provider can recommend the right surgery for their patient’s needs.

Internal hemorrhoids occur frequently in pregnancy. In these cases, the condition is caused by pressure from the unborn child and changes in hormonal levels. The vessels become inflamed as a result of the strain. The condition usually goes away in a few days after the baby is born.