Common questions about haemorrhoids smells

Why do haemorrhoids smell?

Many haemorrhoid sufferers don’t realise that, from time to time, haemorrhoids can become inflamed and irritated, which can cause them to emit an unpleasant smell.

When piles become inflamed, the veins and support tissues around the lower rectal area (internal piles) or underneath the skin around the anus (external piles) swell up.

If internal piles become swollen, it can mean that you lose a certain amount of control of your anal sphincter, the muscle that keeps your back passage closed. Should this happen, then you could find that you produce a small amount of anal leakage consisting of stool (poo) and fluid. It can sometimes be the tiniest amount, but enough to create the offending smell.

How badly do piles smell?

As you can imagine, any sort of bowel movement is never going to create a pleasant smell, so even the temporary slight loss of control of your sphincter, will have a similar result.

If you are one of the sufferers unlucky enough to experience this symptom, there are ways of helping to neutralise the smell. A sitz bath or regular warm baths will help bring the odour under control.

Speak to an eXroid expert today about how we can help. You can call us on 0800 999 3777 or click here for all other queries.

Is a fishy smell from haemorrhoids normal?

It could be a sign of a number of issues, but is more than likely piles related.

The smell is most likely anal discharge from the rectum, produced by the mucus membrane, as opposed to the leaking of faecal matter (poo), due to loss of sphincter control.

Whilst this can be embarrassing, if you maintain a regular personal hygiene routine, it’s unlikely anybody around you will notice.

Can haemorrhoids smell if they burst?

External haemorrhoids that have developed clots of blood are typically the ones that might pop. This could result in a metallic, iron smell from a mixture of blood and mucus that may have collected in the haemorrhoid.

You can usually spot blood clots in external piles by the purple bruised look. If you have this or an enlarged pile then it would be advisable to make an appointment with your GP.

Alternatively, you can make a discreet call to an eXroid advisor and they can arrange an appointment with one of our eXroid practitioners. Please note that eXroid only treats internal haemorrhoids.

To organise an appointment, please call us on 0800 999 3777 or click here for all other queries.

Is there anything I can do to reduce the smell of haemorrhoids?

There are some simple things that you can do that will help:

• Take warm baths or showers more often.
• Use haemorrhoid creams or witch hazel.
• Drink plenty of water and swap to a high fibre diet to make sure your stools are not so hard.

How to cure haemorrhoid smell?

No treatment can guarantee that you will never have another haemorrhoid, but you can eliminate the ones you have now.

There are a number of surgical and non-surgical treatments available. You can read about the main ones in our haemorrhoid treatments page.

eXroid electrotherapy is one such non-surgical treatment. It’s safe, effective and one of the least invasive treatments available. This useful at a glance guide will give you an idea of the benefits, or get in touch now to speak to an advisor.