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Pelvic organ prolapse

Pelvic organ prolapse is when one or more pelvic organs drop from their position. This makes a bulge in the vagina, called a prolapse.

The muscles and connective tissues of the pelvic floor typically hold the pelvic organs in place. Pelvic organs include the vagina, bladder, uterus, urethra and rectum. Pelvic organ prolapse happens when the muscles and tissues of the pelvic floor weaken. This may be due to pregnancy, childbirth or menopause.

Pelvic organ prolapse can be treated. Often, nonsurgical treatment helps. Sometimes, surgery might be needed to put the pelvic organs back in place.

Sometimes, pelvic organ prolapse has no symptoms. When symptoms happen, they might include:

Weakness of the pelvic floor often affects more than one area. For instance, if one of your pelvic organs is prolapsed, you’re more likely to have another type of pelvic organ prolapse.

The cause of pelvic organ prolapse is the weakening of the tissues and the muscles that support the pelvic organs. The most common cause is having a baby vaginally.

Risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse include:

Diagnosis of pelvic organ prolapse begins with a medical history and an exam of the pelvic organs. This can help your healthcare professional find the type of prolapse you may have.

Some tests also might be needed. Tests for pelvic organ prolapse can include:

Imaging, such as MRI or ultrasound, might be used for people whose pelvic organ prolapse is complex.

Treatment depends on your symptoms and how much they bother you. If your pelvic organ prolapse doesn’t bother you, your healthcare professional might suggest no treatment or treating the prolapse without surgery. If symptoms get worse and affect your quality of life, you might need surgery.

The prolapse might not be the cause of urinary and bowel symptoms, although they can be linked. If those symptoms are not linked to the prolapse, then treatment for the prolapse might not improve them.

Medications

Many people with prolapse also are in menopause. Menopause lowers estrogen levels. Too little estrogen can weaken vaginal tissue and lead to vaginal dryness. Talk with your healthcare professional about whether treatment with estrogen is right for you. The use of vaginal estrogen might be an option.

Physical therapy

Your healthcare professional may suggest pelvic floor exercises using biofeedback to strengthen muscles of the pelvic floor. Biofeedback involves the use of monitoring devices with sensors that are placed in the vagina and rectum or on the skin. As you do an exercise, a computer screen shows whether you’re using the right muscles. It also shows the strength of each squeeze, called a contraction. This helps you learn how to do the exercises correctly. Over time, making pelvic floor muscles stronger might help ease symptoms.

Pessaries

Using a pessary is a nonsurgical way to support prolapsed pelvic organs. These silicone devices come in various shapes and sizes. They’re put in the vagina to hold the pelvic organs in place.

Some people who use pessaries can learn to take them out at night, clean them and replace them in the morning. Others might need to visit their healthcare professional every three months to replace the pessary.

Surgery

If your pelvic organ prolapse bothers you, surgery might help. The goals of surgery are to get rid of the vaginal bulge and improve some symptoms.

Most often, the surgery corrects the prolapse and aims to put the pelvic organs back in place. This is called reconstructive surgery. The approach to surgery depends on where the prolapse is and whether there’s more than one area of prolapse.

Prolapse surgery only repairs the tissue bulge. If the bulge doesn’t bother you, surgery isn’t needed. Surgery doesn’t repair the weakened tissues. So the prolapse might come back.

Pelvic organ prolapse is the result of weakened pelvic floor tissues that make a bulge. There are things you can do to help stop weakness in these tissues. These steps can help keep your condition from getting worse. They also may help keep symptoms from coming back after a surgical repair. Try the following:

For uterine prolapse, you may see a specialist in conditions affecting the female reproductive system. This type of doctor is called a gynecologist. Or you may see a specialist in pelvic floor problems and reconstructive surgery. This type of doctor is called a urogynecologist.

Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment.

What you can do

When you make the appointment, ask if there’s anything you need to do before the appointment, such as not drinking or eating before having certain tests. This is called fasting.

Make a list of:

Take a family member or friend along, if possible, to help you remember the information you’re given.

For pelvic organ prolapse, some basic questions to ask your healthcare professional include:

Be sure to ask all the questions you have.

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthcare professional is likely to ask you questions, such as:

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