I have a prolapse, now what?

So you have a prolpase too?

Prolapse has a scary and bad ring to it. Being told you have a prolapse might seem like the end of the active lifestyle you have lead so far. And it comes with so many questions: will it get worse, can I carry my children, can I ever run again or should I avoid weight training in the gym, do I need surgery, and so on? But the reputation prolapse has - that it only happens due to weakness and will only get worse are so wrong. There is so much we can do and improvement, symptom reduction and control and exercise are all very possible! Let’s change the reputation of prolapse - it happens and it feelsdifficult, but you can have control and change the way you feel!

Current estimates state that about 10% of women have a symptomatic prolapse. But did you know that it is pretty normal and common have some level of movement of the vaginal walls without any symptoms?

So if you have been told by a health care professional that you have a mild prolapse and it’s come as a surprise for you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a problem. Think about prolapse as wrinkles on the inside and as normal ageing, some level of laxity is normal in other parts of our bodies too and they are not uncomfortable.

Also it’s good to know, that the grade of prolapse won’t correlate with the severity of symptoms. So just the fact that you have been told you have a prolapse doesn't mean things will be bad for you later on down the line (but yes, there are some good preventative measures that are recommended for everyone when taking care of their pelvic health).

I also find the fact that not everyone has symptoms from their prolapse to be quite hopeful for all of us who are struggling with symptoms. There is hope to get to a level where I will not be aware of my prolpase even if it was there.

It is possible to reduce prolapse symptoms and return to activities and exercise. It might take some re-adjustment and defenetliy some learning about your body. But you are not alone, and it is possible. Below I’ve listed what you can do and start to work on.

What now?

• Go and see a women’s pelvic health physiotherapist. Make sure you are being examined in standing or squatting positions as well as lying down as these are more functional and often where you are more symptomatic too. Your therapist will be able to find out a lot more about your body and what’s going on in these positions and that will help to put together a good rehab plan

• Try not to google prolapse too much on the general searches. Instead, find positive, good quality resources to help you in your way to recovery. But remember to take a break too and mute the pelvic floor IG and Facebook accounts you’re following every once in a while to allow your mind a break

• Relax and breathe. Stretch. Often with prolapse, our automatic response is to tense EVERYTHING in order to try and keep our organs from falling. We’re not moving normally, not bending, not breathing deeply and certainly not letting out pelvic floor relax. But it can be a bit counter-productive and in fact we’re preventing our body from functioning optimally and sustaining good (muscle)balance.

  • Do mindfulness or meditation

  • Stretch, especially your inner thighs

  • Practice 360-breathing

  • Let your tummy loosen and don’t hold it in

  • Wear comfortable (loose) clothes

  • Find positions that help you to reduce your symptoms. Like lying with a pillow under your pelvis to get elevation, or any positions where you get your hips/pelvis above your ribs or head. Visualise your sits bones widening on each in-breath

• Look after your toilet habits:

  • Don’t strain on the loo, don’t push to empty you bladder, let it do it itself. Don’t strain when doing a poo either, use a poo stool to lift your knees above hips for easier bowel emptying

  • Make sure you are drinking enough to sustain a healthy bladder, and to eat enough fibre for a good stool consistency

  • Don’t go to the loo just in case, only go when you need to!

• Look after your mental health

  • Talk to your partner. Tell them how you’re feeling and how they can help

  • Do you have other trusted friends and family you can talk to? Don’t force yourself to talk to everyone, sometimes it’s refreshing to interact with people who have no idea, maybe it will help you to have a break from your symptoms too. But do have people around you who will listen to you

  • Do you have birth trauma or postnatal trauma? Seek out professional help, you do not need to handle these on your own

  • Make time for activities that make you feel good and get those endorphins flowing

  • Find ways to manage your stress because tension and stress often aggravate prolapse and pelvic floor symptoms

  • Learn to calm down your nervous system from a fight or flight state

• Learn ways to handle and massage tight scar tissues in your pelvic area, they are more than likely playing a part in your prolapse. Talk to your pelvic floor therapist to identify these and to find the best way to massage them

• Don’t stop moving all together, take breaks throughout the day instead and spread your activities evenly through out the day to allow for rest in between

• Keep your glutes strong, they’re big muscles that will help support your pelvis and improve the function of your pelvic floor too!

• Integrate HYPOPRESSIVES into your routine! They have been shown to improve pelvic floor strength and function, and they help lift the pelvic organs into a better position resulting in less symptoms. They help to reduce/resolve incontinence and reduce the grade of a prolapse or reverse a prolapse altogether

• You might consider pessaries. There are numerous types of pessaries! Some are available through the NHS and some GPs fit these. There are also private nurses and physios who fit a bigger variety of pessaries. It can be a bit of a trial and error before you find the best fit but keep going

• Don’t compare yourself to where you were before your symptoms started, compare yourself to 4 weeks ago from today. Keep a linear improvement diary where you mark what you’re now able to do and see all the improvements you’re making over time. It’s difficult to notice the improvements when they are small steps, but remind yourself of the small improvements too. They will multiply.

• Do you still have questions about your prolapse and pelvic floor? Go to my Contact page and book a free 15 minute call. Let’s talk about how we can get you back doing the things you love and that matter to you, because that’s what life is about.