Like many diseases, the relative odds of you getting hemorrhoids is closely connected to genetics.
In other words, if any close member of your family has had the condition, you are more at risk for having them then someone whose family has no history of the condition.
But even though hemorrhoids has a genetic component, most incidences of them can be traced back to one thing, straining of the bowel muscles.
Most of the time this straining is caused by constipation.
The stool hardens and, as a result, is harder for the bowel muscles to push ti through.
As a consequence, in order to eliminate wastes, you are forced to strain.
If done for too long a period, hemorrhoids are almost certain to appear.
There are other things than can cause pressure or straining on the bowels.
One is obesity, which is why many people who are obese are more prone to the condition than those of normal weight.
A really obese person who has rolls of fat pressing down on his or her abdominal cavity is forced to exert more pressure when having a bowel movement.
The straining, as is the case with constipation, will eventually cause internal and external hemorrhoids to manifest in the bowels and near the anus.
It takes a lot of straining to produce hemorrhoids the first time which is why a lot of people are surprised when they first get them.
Unfortunately, subsequent occurrences are triggered with less and less straining.
This is because, by this time, the rectal veins have already been stretched out and the hemorrhoids already created.
It takes less effort to trigger a reaction from an already created hemorrhoid than to produce the hemorrhoid in the first place.
So the best chance of avoiding future occurrences of this condition is to, as much as possible, avoid activities that put undue pressure on the bowels.
Aside from constipation and obesity, that would include things such as sitting for too long of a period, standing for too long of a period, and lifting heavy weights incorrectly.
One condition that produces pressure on the rectum, however, is very difficult to avoid.
And, that is pregnancy.
Just like all the other causes, as the fetus begins to grow it produces pressure and straining on the bowels - the perfect conditions for the development of hemorrhoids.
Fortunately, in most cases, the hemorrhoids resulting from pregnancy will disappear once the child is born.
Because the rectal veins have already been stretched, however, the mother is still at a higher risk for future re-occurrences than the general population.
Even though genetics are a component of this condition, it is by no means the most important component.
Proper lifestyle choices can practically eliminate the possibility of you getting hemorrhoids.