There are surgical treatments for piles which are usually one of the following:

Conventional haemorrhoidectomy is the surgical removal of piles and is only used if you have severe piles and other treatments - such as banding and sclerotherapy - haven't worked. A conventional haemorrhoidectomy is done under general anaesthetic. This means you will be asleep during the operation. Your surgeon will cut the pile away from the muscle underneath and tie off the blood vessels to prevent bleeding. The exposed wound area will then heal naturally. Your surgeon may use stitches to close the wound.

A stapled haemorrhoidopexy is an alternative surgical technique that uses a specially-designed circular stapler. The stapler is inserted into the rectum and used to remove a doughnut-shaped piece of tissue above the piles. This pulls the haemorrhoids back up the anal canal and also reduces the blood supply to the piles, which shrink as a result. Recently a review of the value of this operation showed that compared with conventional haemorrhoidopexy, stapled haemorrhoidopexy led to less pain afterwards, a shorter stay in hospital and a shorter recovery time. However, there was a greater risk of piles returning and hanging down from your anus.

In haemorrhoidal artery ligation the small arteries that supply blood to the piles are tied with sutures. This causes the piles to shrink. It's sometimes referred to as HALO (haemorrhoidal artery ligation operation).

It is true that piles are common in pregnant women. However, surgery is rarely considered an appropriate treatment for women who are pregnant since their piles should get better after their baby is born.

If you're pregnant, it's important to modify your diet to include more fibre as this will help to soften your bowel movements. If this doesn't help, ask your doctor about mild creams and ointments.

You can definitely reduce your risk of developing piles. If you have daily bowel movements that are solid but soft, and you don't need to strain, faeces will pass easily and won't put pressure on the blood vessels in your anal area. So to keep your bowel movements soft try to eat plenty of fibre-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables and wholegrain cereals (for example, brown rice, wholemeal bread and wholemeal pasta) and as ever drink plenty of fluids!