Advice on birth with prolapse

[0emerald0]

Hi, hope I'm posting in the right section.
I'm 28 and recently found out I have a moderate rectocele(due to IBS - i think I don't really know why it's happened), which has been pretty upsetting to be honest as I haven't even had children yet.
I was wondering how this would be made worse by giving birth vaginally? Would a c-section be an option? I have other problems as well my skin seems to tear easily - I tear a little every time I have sex, so I'm terrified that if I were to give birth vaginally I'd have problems there too.
To be honest it's putting me off having children full stop, I feel so upset as this is something I thought happened as you get older/ have children :(
Any advice much appreciated.

[pinguina16]

No one wants to talk about these issues. Yes, prolapses happen whether you have children or not and can happen when you're young.
Friend of mine is starting to have issues despite not having had children and being 33.
If you have issues before being pregnant, you have a higher risk of having incontinence issues after birth.
Personally I would ask for a planned c-section. It doesn't protect against pelvic floor dysfunction (women who only delivered by c-section can also suffer a prolapse later on) in the long run but it should delay the issues.

Do you know of family members who have suffered similar problems? What do they say about how they manage their condition? What happened after they gave birth?

Another factor can be being overweight. If it's the case I'm sure you've already been told to try and keep your weight down (easier said than done ).

Have you seen a woman's health physiotherapist? If it's simply your GP who's diagnosed, I'd push to get specialist help and see a physio/go to a pelvic floor clinic.
If you already see one, what is their take on giving birth?

I'm sorry you have this condition. Accepting such a diagnosis is so hard. I wish we were better educated about the pelvic floor.

I'm no physio btw, just a woman who had a 2 year pass to see pelvic floor specialists (physios, urogynae and colorectal surgeon) after being seriously injured during birth. I'm probably not the story you want to hear about but it's educated me about many aspects of women's health.

[Gingernut81]

I found out a few weeks ago I'd had a small prolapse, most likely due to birth of DD 6 months ago. I was so stressed out until I saw the consultant. He didn't say what would happen following another child but did state that he would leave do anything surgical until I had finished my family. I'm the meantime he said to do pelvic floor exercises to keep it in check so I'm feeling much more positive about it.

[0emerald0]

Thanks for your replies.

The frustrating thing is I am slim so that isn't what's causing it. I've done a bit of reading and apparently it can happen if you have more elastic skin, which I do so I think that must be part of the reason.

I don't have a lot of family to ask about these things, my 56 year old mother had never even heard of a rectocele.
I had started feeling a bulge, then a colorectal surgeon told me I had one after I had a botox procedure for fissures.

It is a lot to get your head around, especially as it's something that's never going to go away :(
If I do decide to have children I will try to opt for planned c-section as I find the idea of being incontinent terrifying.

[pinguina16]

I would really recommend seeing a woman's health physiotherapist.
There are a couple of good books on the pelvic floor called Hold it sister and Hold it mama by Mary O'Dwyer. They're an eye opener.
All the best

[Duckstar]

Totally off topic but have you ever been investigated for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? You may want to investigate as a couple of things in your post and a prolapse pre-children made be immediately think of EDS,

I had a prolapse after my 1st child. I had to have mine repaired as it was so painful couldn't have sex to concieve a second child. Advice I was given was that if it wasn't too bad it would be left till completed family and I could have had vaginal birth. Post repair I was advised to have a csection.

[0emerald0]

I will go to my GP and see if I can get a referral to a physio, wouldn't surprise me if they say no though!

Re the Ehlers Danlos, it's funny I've been reading up on that and I have a fair few of the symptoms, I just don't really have the hypermobile joints, so I wasn't sure if they would take me seriously about it. Do you have much experience with it?

[Duckstar]

0emerald0 not me, but a good friend has been recently diagnosed. She has had numerous problems for years IBS, prolapse (no children and slim) and also skin that tears easily. Saw new GP for IBS who had gone through records and said he wanted to refer to rheumatologist. There isn't a magic cure for EDS, but my friend is glad she has an explanation. She felt a lot of the time people just felt she was a hyperchondriac.