Prolapse

Half of all women who have had a child have some level of pelvic organ prolapse

Do you experience vaginal heaviness or pressure? Does it impact on your social activities or limit your exercise routine?

• What does pelvic organ prolapse mean?

  Your pelvic organs which include the bladder, vagina, uterus and bowel are held in position by your pelvic floor muscles and supporting tissues such as ligaments. If your pelvic floor muscles are weak or the supporting tissues are stretched / torn, then the pelvic organs may not be held in the right position.

  Pelvic organ prolapse is where one or more of your pelvic organs bulge or ‘fall down’ into the vagina.

• What are the common symptoms of prolapse?

  When a prolapse first happens or if the organ hasn’t moved far, many women don’t notice any symptoms.

  If your prolapse has moved further down then you may notice symptoms such as:

  • a bulge in your vagina that you can feel or see

  • heaviness, a dragging sensation or pressure in your vagina

  • difficulties emptying your bladder and / or bowel

  • an achy pain in your pelvic or back area, particularly at the end of the day

  • changes with intercourse - painful sex or reduced sensation during intercourse

  • recurring urinary tract infections

• What are the different types of prolapse?

  There are three main types of prolapse. Some women can have more than one of their pelvic organs prolapsing into the vagina.

  • Bladder prolapse (Cystocele)

    The bladder bulging into the front wall of the vagina

  • Uterine prolapse

    The uterus dropping down into the vagina

  • Bowel prolapse (Rectocele)

    The bowel pushing through the back vaginal wall

What could be causing your prolapse?

The most common cause of prolapse is pregnancy and childbirth. (During pregnancy, hormone changes and extra weight can weaken your pelvic floor. During childbirth, the baby can stretch and tear the supporting tissues and pelvic floor muscles.) If you have had more than one baby, an instrumental delivery (forceps or vacuum), your baby was big (heavier than 4kg) or you had to push for longer than 1 hour (second stage of labour) you are more likely to have a prolapse.

Other causes of prolapse also include:

• menopause - you are currently going through or have been through menopause

• chronic constipation - long history of straining to empty your bowels

• overweight

• regular heavy lifting (such as older children, heavy furniture, weights during exercise)

• previous surgery to treat a vaginal prolapse

• lots of coughing due to smoking, a lung condition or asthma

How can Advance Pelvic Health help you?

We understand how prolapse symptoms can significantly impact a woman’s quality of life.

We will throughly assess your condition using various assessment strategies including: internal pelvic floor examinations and external assessments of the pelvic floor via our ultrasound technology. We will also assess in detail any bladder and / or bowel symptoms that you may experiencing.

Our treatment strategies will be tailored around what we find in our detailed assessment of your prolapse symptoms and what you want to achieve. We will provide education about your prolapse and create an evidence-based personalised program that fits into your lifestyle.