Pelvic floor prolapse: What you need to know

While many medical conditions are extremely straightforward and easy to recognise, many urological conditions leave you feeling “not quite right.” This makes it difficult to take the right steps to treat and resolve a condition. This is the case for a pelvic floor prolapse or dropped bladder.

Between 30 to 40% of women will experience a pelvic floor prolapse at some point during their lives. Know the symptoms and what treatments are available.

What is a pelvic floor prolapse?

A pelvic floor prolapse or dropped bladder occurs when the muscles and tissues which support the pelvic organs become weaker or loose. This allows one or more of the pelvic organs to fall or press into or out of the vagina. As a result, the upper part of the vagina loses its standard shape and sags down into the vaginal canal or sometimes outside of the vaginal opening.

How are they caused?

There are a number of reasons that this condition can occur including:

childbirth
menopause,
hysterectomy
obesity
advanced age

What are the symptoms?

While many women never have straightforward symptoms, and can go for a long time without understanding the condition, they may notice the following symptoms.

Pressure or fullness in the vagina or pelvis
Pain during sexual intercourse
Recurrent urinary tract infections
Difficulty emptying the bowel or bladder
Constipation
Urinary stress incontinence
Pain that increases during long periods of standing
A lump of tissue at the opening of the vagina

How is it treated?

Symptoms do not always appear, however, if symptoms do become apparent, a number of solutions are available. Treatments include:

Activity modification, such as avoiding heavy lifting or straining
Kegel exercises,
A pessary
Estrogen replacement therapy muscles in the vagina
surgery

Interested in learning more about urological health? Check out some of our other blog posts:

Effective treatments for stress incontinence

Treatment options for overactive bladder

What the colour of your urine could mean

If you are experiencing symptoms of a pelvic floor prolapse, you should never ignore discomfort as help is always available. It is important to talk to a trusted professional when it comes to your health. If you have any questions about pelvic floor prolapses or would like to book an appointment, please feel free to contact or call Dr Arianayagam’s office on 1300 307 990 and his staff will be able to assist.