Vaginal Prolapse - feel like my life is over..

[BNKhash]

I had two children and after my second I got my self a lovely little prolapse.

It’s between stage 1 and stage 2 and apparently not that bad.

I used to do lot of night intensity workouts and weight training and sometime feel really depressed about how the prolapse restricts what I can do.

How do people deal with that?

Hello. I’ve had stage 4 prolapses in all the places….😕. Thanks twins…..anyhoo, am also a Pilates teacher. I’ve had a surgical correction but it’s not fixed it totally, that’s another story.

you do need to find a better women’s healthy physio. Try the recommends from the other posters or google mummy mot, it’s a training available to physios.

if you want to do some pelvic floor work per the squeezy app, think about your breath work into it. You want to do the work on an exhale, not an inhale due to intraabdominal pressure. If you are lifting on an inhale, you are trying to move your pelvic floor to an area already under pressure from the descent of the diaphragm into the abdomen. So do the work on an exhale as the diaphragm moves back up. Per other mentions, the pelvic floor is part of your core so overall gently work will help. Also start doing pelvic floor work lying down, then seated then standing to reduce the gravitational pull on the pelvic floor….

another avenue is hyporessives which I’m currently training in, I’ve seen incredible videos of people doing the technique and their pelvic floor moving substantially in the right direction. So perhaps look at this as another option.

Pelvic floor problems are so common. Much love x

@Oppppppp and @TheScientists look up Kathryn at Prima Women’s Health, she’s based in Girton 😊

Thanks!

Can I ask a stupid question - I've put off going to a physio for years with a prolapse because I had a bad experience with a birth and I feel really nervous about being examined. To put it bluntly - how much of it do you have to have your knickers off and someone poking you around?

Yes, still BF. I saw gyno and they did give me hormone cream to apply internally (plus recommended that physio they said was very good - not) I went through private insurance

My physio examined me to assess the situation and then at every appointment to check the strength of my pelvic floor. She was very professional, asked for consent at every stage and she could have given me the program without doing intimate exams - she could have based it on my self reporting of symptoms. I wanted to know that I was doing the pelvic floor exercises correctly and I wanted to know how much progress I was making so I did want her to monitor that, but she was definitely someone who would make accommodations around trauma so I would think it would be possible without that, just perhaps not quite as effective. The major issue is that it's very hard to know yourself if you're doing pelvic floor exercises properly and having someone assess is really helpful to get it right.

Oh and also @thescientists all she had to do was put a finger in a small way - it was nothing like even a smear test, no instruments or poking around. She literally put a gloved finger in the vaginal entrance to see what was going on when I did the squeezes, how strong the muscle movement was, how long I could hold it for etc.

Well there was some of that but she always gave the option to decline an examination and just go through exercises she recommended. If you definitely don’t want to be examined I would suggest just saying so when you first reach out 😊

One year isn't very long for healing.
I went to a Bowen therapist at 11 months. They work on soft tissue. After my third appointment I had marked improvement - no pain, no something's going to fall out of my vagina any minute heavy feeling. I carried on with appointments until half way through my third pregnancy. Giving birth made it no worse.
I still have some small prolapse but it's asymptomatic so as good as not there.

I had a prolapse after my third and I felt very much like you, like my life was over. But it has got better. I returned to running and weight lifting and as long as I make sure I keep on top of maintenance I don't have any issues. Have a look at hypopressive exercises and see if there are any classes near you, that's what helped mine improve massively.

I've been left permanently disabled thanks to surgery using mesh, as have many hundreds of thousands of women worldwide so please please don't even consider this as an option. You have a mild prolapse that can absolutely be improved with pelvic floor exercises. You just need to make sure you do them religiously every day. Find a good womens pelvic physio - I'm assuming the person you saw was on the NHS to be so unhelpful? It's not that they don't know what to do to help, just that the stage you're at is fairly minor and they're totally overstretched as is every area of the NHS! Find a good private one, I know it's an expense but it's a worthwhile one that will pay for itself over and over again. Find out what you're doing wrong if the exercises haven't helped so far and work to improve your technique. Surgery is absolutely not the answer, especially mesh surgery. Join a Facebook group called 'Sling the Mesh'. Also read the 'First do no Harm' report by Baroness Julia Cumberlege. She was commissioned by the government to write it on mesh, primodos and sodium valproate - three devastating medical interventions that have had life altering implications to those 'treated' with them. Surgery at your age would potentially need repeating every 5-10 years which is not only a lot for your body to go through, it's a lot for your family to go through with you. It's absolutely not the answer. Even if you were to go down this route, there's no guarantee it will even work at all. The success rate is low. So first steps, find a really good womens pelvic floor physio, next step, visit the GP/pelvic floor nurse to ask for a pessary if you feel it will help, step three change your diet to a high fibre, low fat one. The better you eat the less the strain on your body. Step 4, get yourself a squatty potty to ensure you are using the toilet in the optimal position, step 5, get as fit and healthy as you can. Hope this helps - best of luck!

@FairyLightsInTheMist @hellofrommyothername thanks, that's really helpful, I feel more like I could go now

@JollyOldStNicholas the mesh scandal is absolutely atrocious, so many women’s lives completely ruined, but I don’t think they use it anymore? I had my surgery 10y ago when mesh was very popular, however my (private) surgeon refused to use it as he felt there wasn’t enough evidence of the long term implications. He used the old fashioned ‘cut and stitch’ method which is still working perfectly well.

I had repair surgery without mesh and it worked extremely well for me. I have never heard of anyone having to repeat the surgery every 5-10 years and I certainly wasn’t told that was a risk. I had surgery in my early 40s and it’s possible I will have to have it again in perhaps my 60s or 70s, but thats ok with me.

Obviously non invasive methods are best, if they work.

Just wanted to echo all the great advice above

I was in a very similar position to you (grade 2) and it really affected me emotionally. However, I have managed to heal it. Sometimes it can relapse (e.g. if I get a cough) but I know that with a few weeks I can get back to normal.

What's helped:

1. Specialist women's health physio - really good. It was probably about 6-8 sessions of tailored exercises, glute and core, not just pelvic floor exercises. I had a hypertonic pelvic floor (meaning holding too much, too tight - I was extremely stressed) and once that was resolved it was a lot easier to heal the prolapse. I did this privately as it was the pandemic. A friend had great NHS care for a different type of prolapse.
2. Pilates - again run by women's health physios. Pilates teachers do vary in their knowledge in this area so I think definitely go to someone with at least postpartum training so they know what's safe for you and what needs modifying.
3. Restore your core programme by Lauren Ohayon - I started this before the in-person pilates as it was the pandemic. 20-30 min workouts, really easy to do between my kid's bedtime and my own bedtime. She is really good on cueing so it is a good replacement/complement for in-person teaching if there are no suitable teachers near you. There is a free Facebook group and IG content too. She also has a fitness platform, RYC fit, with lots of cardio and strength workout with modifications if you are symptomatic. So I know if I am back in a rough phase (hello winter!) there is always something I can do to get a good workout in.
4. Another good source is Dr Bri's vibrant pelvic health on youtube - she has free videos which have been very helpful but the paid for stuff is very expensive

The main thing was having a really good physio - everything else was just building on that foundation and adding variety (I get bored easily!)

Good luck - it is possible to heal although it does take time and can be a bit up and down. I went to see a gynae about something else and asked to check on the prolapse at the same time and it was completely healed. She was really impressed and now recommends my physio to everyone.

From a non invasive perspective, I also found losing weight helped a lot. I was about 2st overweight and when I lost that, felt much more comfortable on a day to day basis. Although it wasn’t that easy to lose when looking after a baby.

I've had the triple whammy - bladder, bowel and uterine prolapse since my son was born 12 years ago. I felt exactly like you do but honestly, they don't bother me at all now.
You'll notice a big difference when you stop breastfeeding.
What also helped me was these exercises devised by a physiotherapist who has a prolapse herself: www.hab-it.com/
I also bought a Kegal 8 machine. It has a special programme for prolapses.

If pelvic floor exercises help then I would get a Tena pelvic floor exerciser on Amazon . They have a probe that goes in your vagina and basically zaps you causing you to contract. Very very effective. C£65

Th am you for all the messages / advice. It’s taking me a while to read… will be back

I saw a program a while back regarding womens health. There was a lady called Katie Alex who performs Ultra Femme 360 treatment with excellent results. I believe her clinic is in Cheshire. It might be worth contacting her. Good luck.

I've been doing hypopressives for my prolapse. Hypopressives with Alice on YouTube will teach you the technique. 10 mins a day has made a massive difference and I have found them better than more traditional exercises. Also the breathing techniques are relaxing. I don't notice my prolapse now but cannot say where it is at. Still nervous about weights but find yoga is no problem and really enjoy it.

And excuse the spelling… typing fast and not rereading

Yes, this is exactly what a Kegal 8 machine does. Really helps, I find.

They absolutely do use it. I run a Facebook support group for those harmed and patients are still being offered mesh!

You are one of the lucky ones. You aren't running in the circles where you would hear about those whose surgery failed I take it. Unfortunately I am and it happens far too often. This is one of the biggest issues we come up against - the lack of informed consent. Surgeons are still telling patients "oh that's not this mesh" or similar. When you dig into how many backhanders the health industry are given by the manufacturers, you start to scratch away at the truth. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

This really helps:

TensCare itouch Sure - Pelvic Floor Exerciser for Strengthening and Toning. Aids in the Treatment of Incontinence and Bladder Leaks, Silver : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care