The "pelvic floor" is a group of muscles that form a kind of hammock across your pelvic opening. Normally, these muscles and the tissues surrounding them keep the pelvic organs in place. These organs include your bladder, uterus, vagina, small bowel, and rectum.

Sometimes, these muscles and tissue develop problems. Some women develop pelvic floor disorders following childbirth. And as women age, pelvic organ prolapse and other pelvic floor disorders become more common.Some women notice nothing at all, but others report these symptoms with pelvic organ prolapse:

A feeling of pressure or fullness in the pelvic area

A backache low in the back

Painful intercourse

A feeling that something is falling out of the vagina

Urinary problems such as leaking of urine or a chronic urge to urinate

Constipation

Spotting or bleeding from the vagina

Symptoms

Symptoms depend somewhat on which organ is drooping. If the bladder prolapses, urine leakage may occur. If it's the rectum, constipation and uncomfortable intercourse often occur. A backache as well as uncomfortable intercourse often accompanies small intestine prolapse. Uterine prolapse is also accompanied by backache and uncomfortable intercourse.

Treatment

Treatment of pelvic organ prolapse depends on how severe the symptoms are. Treatment can include a variety of therapies, including:

Behavioral treatments, such as doing Kegel exercises designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles

Mechanical treatments, such as inserting a small plastic device called a pessary into the vagina to provide support for the drooping organs

Surgical treatment, either to repair the affected tissue or organ or to remove the organ (such as removal of the uterus by hysterectomy)

Many risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse are out of your control. These include:

• Family history
• Advancing age
• A difficult vaginal delivery
• Having had a hysterectomy

But you can reduce the likelihood you will have problems. Try these steps:

• Do Kegel exercises daily to maintain good muscle strength in your pelvic area
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Avoid constipation
• Do not smoke, as smoking can affect tissues, and a chronic cough often seen in smokers boosts the risk of problems

Pelvic organ prolapse is when 1 or more of the organs in the pelvis slip down from their normal position and bulge into the vagina.

It can be the womb (uterus), bowel, bladder or top of the vagina.

A prolapse is not life threatening, but it can cause pain and discomfort.

Symptoms can usually be improved with pelvic floor exercises and lifestyle changes, but sometimes medical treatment is needed.Pelvic organ prolapse happens when the group of muscles and tissues that normally support the pelvic organs, called the pelvic floor, becomes weakened and cannot hold the organs in place firmly.A number of things can weaken your pelvic floor and increase your chance of developing pelvic organ prolapse.

These include:

• pregnancy and childbirth – especially if you had a long, difficult birth, or if you gave birth to a large baby or multiple babies
• getting older and going through the menopause
• being overweight
• having long-term constipation or a long-term health condition that causes you to cough and strain
• having a hysterectomy
• a job that requires a lot of heavy lifting

Types of prolapse

The 4 main types of prolapse are:

• the bladder bulging into the front wall of the vagina (anterior prolapse)
• the womb bulging or hanging down into the vagina (uterine prolapse)
• the top of the vagina sagging down – this happens to some women after they have had surgery to remove their womb
• the bowel bulging forward into the back wall of the vagina (posterior wall prolapse)

It's possible to have more than 1 of these at the same time.

Pelvic organ prolapse will usually be classified on a scale of 1 to 4 to show how severe it is, with 4 being a severe prolapse.

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Regards,

John Kimberly

Editorial Team

Womens Health and Reproductive Medicine