Bleeding hemorrhoids usually occur within the anal canal or rectum and are caused by putting too much pressure while bearing down during defecation. The veins in the rectum tend to become overstretched or enlarged due to too much blood accumulation. Whenever we put force on a certain part of the body, blood rushes to it in order to provide the cells in that area with oxygen to accommodate the workload. In bleeding hemorrhoids, the dilated veins tend to bulge out. The initial visible sign of bleeding hemorrhoids would be blood streaks in the stools. It is greatly advised that you should have a check-up with your physician as soon as blood is present in your stools. One of the main reasons why it is necessary to have an urgent consultation is to check if the blood streaks are indicative of hemorrhoids or of other digestive tract related ailments such as colon cancer. Take note that the blood streaks from hemorrhoids are bright red in color; whereas in other digestive health problems, it is usually darker.

Patients who never heard of bleeding hemorrhoids would be startled at first and some would even panic. Bleeding hemorrhoids is very scary, this condition could become worse if the patient is constipated due to the fact that the more pressure you put to the anal canal due to hardened stools, the more blood would come out. There are even instances that the toilet will be filled with blood. One health problem associated with bleeding hemorrhoids would be anemia because of blood loss. Immediate replacement therapy is needed when anemia becomes severe.

There are several reasons why bleeding hemorrhoid occurs:

Weak veins – frail veins can have the tendency to collapse when there is a huge amount of blood flow to the veins in the rectum while straining. When straining, these veins tend to stretch themselves up to its limit especially in constipated patients.
Pregnancy and Obesity- being overweight means more effort while straining.
Wrong posture while defecating – although this may sound a bit awkward to some, the best way to defecate is by squatting. The digestive tract is like a tube where food enters and feces goes out. When a person is in sitting position, the passage way of the stools tend to bend which makes it harder for excretion and more effort is required. Whereas in a squat position, the passageway of stools is not bent or curved, thus there is an easier way for stools to pass through. There is minimal effort in squatting position compared to sitting position Lesser effort in straining means lesser pressure on the veins; lesser pressure on the veins means lesser chance of having hemorrhoids.
Too much caffeine and alcohol intake- Drinks high in caffeine such as coffee, cola and alcoholic drinks cause dehydration. When a person has very amount of fluids in his body, the stools tend to harden which makes it more difficult to excrete.

There are so many ways to cure bleeding hemorrhoids but the best way to avoid them is through knowing what it is and by finding ways to prevent it.