Pelvic prolapse

Many women have pelvic organ prolapse and don’t even know the symptoms and don’t know what this entails.

Pelvic organ prolapse is a weakening of the pelvic muscles and pelvic floor structure, causing organs to drop or lie lower than they normally would.  This often results from childbirth, but also our aging tissues lose structure and collagen and the support becomes weak.  The vaginal walls can drop or sag, and behind them the bladder and bowel can lose support and fall.  The uterus and cervix can drop in the body, or even protrude outside the vagina.

Women can have symptoms such as sensation that something is falling out of the vagina; urine leaking or incomplete emptying or urgency; bowel incontinence or needing to push the vaginal area or lean different ways to have a bowel movement.  It can cause weakening of the urine stream, pain with intercourse, vaginal dryness.    Sometimes women have various symptoms but don’t know where to start and wouldn’t even consider pelvic organ prolapse.

I and my nurse practitioners can tell you if you have prolapse on exam, and we can correlate it with symptoms.  If a treatment plan is needed, we can consider various treatments of the muscles and tissue, or surgery.  Repair of pelvic support is not a cosmetic procedure, but it is often paired with a cosmetic procedure because of the hazards childbirth and aging tissue can cause to the genital appearance. 

Nobody needs to tolerate the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse, it can be improved or fixed with surgery and conservative measures.  Let us know at your next appointment if you have any concerns about prolapse.

Author

Karen E Kennedy MD Gynecologist for over 21 years in Gulf Breeze, FL, caring for patients in the Florida panhandle area.