If you sit or stand all day on the job, remember to take a break every hour or so and walk around a bit. And take the stairs. Soak in a sitz. There is no need to add anything to the bathwater. If a bath is inconvenient, or if you're pregnant, use a hand-held shower, Dr. Gathright suggests.
Hot soaks are out during pregnancy because the heat can harm a fetus.
Soothe with mild lotions. But avoid products that contain witch hazel and alcohol, since they're too harsh for the skin around your anus. He suggests you also steer clear of petroleum jelly and other oil-based lotions, which will trap irritating sweat and mucus near your skin, and cortisone creams, which will thin the skin. Commercial hemorrhoid preparations like Preparation H are no better than cheaper all-purpose emollient lotions, Dr. Gathright says. According to Dr. Wanderman, suppositories aren't particularly useful either, since they often slide too high up in your rectum to help hemorrhoids that are lower.