Prolapse
If your pelvic muscles and ligaments grow seriously stretched and weakened because of childbirth, obesity, or other reasons, you could suffer a pelvic organ prolapse. The highly experienced team of doctors at West Kendall OBGYN, serving the Doral, Kendall and West Kendall areas of Miami, can identify and treat prolapse with a variety of effective non-surgical and surgical solutions, so use online booking or call now to learn more.
Prolapse Q&A
What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
Prolapse is a vaginal hernia that occurs when your ligaments and muscles are too weak to support your uterus, bladder, vagina, urethra, or rectum, and they drop down. The types of prolapse include:
Uterine prolapse – dropped uterus
Cystocele – dropped bladder
Rectocele – dropped rectum
Vaginal vault prolapse – dropped vagina (the upper part)
Enterocele – dropped small intestine
Urethrocele – urethra prolapse
It’s also possible to have two or more types of prolapse at once.
What are the Causes of Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
The leading cause of pelvic organ prolapse is muscle and ligament weakening due to pregnancy and vaginal birth. But, pelvic organ prolapse may also occur because of:
Chronic constipation
Chronic deep cough due to smoking or respiratory illness
Obesity
Regular heavy lifting
Although you can develop pelvic organ prolapse at any age, it’s most common in older women who’ve finished menopause. West Kendall OBGYN treats women of all ages suffering from pelvic organ prolapse.
What are the Signs of Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
Mild pelvic organ prolapse may not cause obvious symptoms. You may experience a slight bulge in your vagina, but in many cases, you might not know you have pelvic organ prolapse until your gynecologist diagnoses it during a well-woman exam.
If you have severe pelvic organ prolapse, you may have pelvic pressure, back pain, urinary incontinence, difficulty urinating or having bowel movements, and inability to use tampons. In the most serious cases of pelvic organ prolapse, the organs can push partially out of your vagina.
How is Prolapse Treated?
Pelvic organ prolapse doesn’t always require treatment. In mild-to-moderate cases, pelvic floor exercises (Kegel exercises) can strengthen your muscles and relieve symptoms.
A pessary, a device that you insert in your vagina to help support your pelvic organs, is a good non-surgical option for many women. There are several different kinds of pessaries, and your West Kendall OBGYN gynecologist can help you get the one right for your particular kind of prolapse. If non-surgical treatments don’t work, your gynecologist may recommend pelvic floor reconstruction surgery to restore the pelvic floor muscles.
Pelvic organ prolapse doesn’t have to be an embarrassing problem any longer. The experienced West Kendall OBGYN team can help you with prolapse symptoms now, so book your appointment online or over the phone.