I will never forget the time I first saw blood on my toilet paper after having a bowel movement.
  I nearly freaked out!  I high tailed it to my doctor (and you should too if you are having this symptom) and she said that I had hemorrhoids.
  I was shocked!  I thought only old people got hemorrhoids and I was only 22.
  Since then I have learned a lot about hemorrhoids, what causes them, and how to treat them.
  They can indeed cause bleeding as well as itching, pain, and a general feeling of being uncomfortable.
The reason that most people get hemorrhoids in the first place (including me) is due to constipation and straining during bowel movements, although some people seem to be genetically predisposed.
  The straining causes the walls of the rectum to become irritated and inflamed and then what you get is hemorrhoids.
   There are many different degrees of severity to this condition from mild to extremely severe.
   It is best to treat them while they are mild.
  You don't want a severe case of hemorrhoids.
They fall into two basic categories - internal and external.
  While both types can bleed, external are the kind that can hurt.
  But if you have internal ones you shouldn't ignore them, because if you do they can prolapse (extrude from your anus) and believe me this hurts.
   Thankfully, there are more options than ever before to treat hemorrhoids effectively and keep them healed up so that you don't get them again.