Pelvic organ prolapse is the downward movement of one or more walls of the vagina. This may be the front (anterior), back (posterior) or the uterus (womb).
50% women and people, who have had children will experience pelvic organ prolapse to some degree.
The symptoms that women tend to report are:
Heaviness in the vagina and perineum
Something coming down
A lump or ball in the vagina
Dragging sensation
Other common symptoms of the bladder and bowel can be caused by pelvic organ prolapse but may also be unrelated to the prolapse:
Not being able to fully empty the bladder or bowel
Difficulty starting the flow of urine or need to change positions
Standing up and leaking urine when getting up off the toilet
Pelvic organ prolapse is not a life threatening condition, and not all prolapses get worse; some may improve. You may choose to do nothing if your prolapse is not bothersome.
Research suggests you can prevent your prolapse getting worse or improve it by doing your pelvic floor muscle exercises and following the advice below:
Drink 2 litres of water and eat a varied diet
Do regular pelvic floor exercises 3 times a day. For guidance on how to correctly perform pelvic floor exercises please click on the video below.
Modify your activities and make sure you build back to full activities gradually
Try a vaginal pessary which will support the vaginal walls (see glossary)
It is helpful to take a slow breath in through your nose so that your stomach moves outwards, and your chest remains still and then exhale through pursed lips.
You may also find it useful to support your perineum when opening your bowels. Your perineum is the area between your back passage and your vagina.
