As many new mums know, piles often make an unwelcome appearance during pregnancy, or shortly after birth. But, with up to 50% of people suffering at some point in their lives, it’s certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.

So why do piles pick this, already stressful, time to make an appearance? It all comes down to abdominal pressure, which can make your blood vessels stretch and swell. The most obvious culprit: the weight of your ever-growing bump! Then there’s all that pushing during labour, too.

Constipation plays a big part as well. This can be the result of hormonal changes, doing less exercise than normal, changes in your diet, and the weight of your bump pressing on your bowel. These things can all block you up, and straining when you go to the loo is a very common cause of piles.

In some cases, piles occur with such mild symptoms that you may not even know you have them.