Prolapse after childbirth. How serious are they really?

[HereBeHubbubs]

I'm curious to hear from other women with similar circumstances to mine and if you also became complacent about it or actively tried to repair it.

I had two larger than average babies at 8 and 9 pounds each.
The first caused a second degree tear and the second a prolapse.
I had them age 38 and 40.

I didn't get a post birth checkup after the second as he was born at home, so it was my practice nurse at a smear test who alerted me to the prolapse.
She said it was so common it was rarer to find a mother who hadn't had some form of prolapse, and that unless it was protruding outside of the vagina or causing severe uncomfosbleness it wasn't a cause to worry, and that my doctor would likely dismiss my concerns.
My wax lady also said It was very common, and she mostly does Brazilian waxes all day, so I think I may have been too complacent really.

Look away now if TMI, but mine is very visible, golf ball sized, and the whole vaginal area is 'open' as you mentioned. But then my perineum seemed to have ripped off entirely and the flaps are 'deflated' too. Childbirth, eh it's worth it though. It doesn't protude when I stand, but laying down it's visible.

Pelvic floor exercises help. And, er, I notice that it gets pushed back up for a few days after sex. I don't know which kind of prolapse it is yet although I suspect bladder. My only symptoms are a feeling of never fully emptying my bladder, and absolute impossibility to keep a tampon in.

How old is your second baby? I've got 3 DC and it's taken a while after the births for it to pop back up.

Mines worse if I have a full bowel and have a hard poo that requires pushing (sorry tmi!).

I can cope with it, pelvic floors help!

Oh my good god, that sounds awful. Can you get this sorted? I cannot imagine being stuck like that for any length of time, you poor thing.

My friend has a prolapse and has been told that they will fix it when she has finished having her family.

I think that once a prolapse gets to the stage you describe, then pelvic floor exercises are of very little value. As far as I know, surgery is your best option.

See the gp about the problem with your bladder. There are other treatments available besides surgery (first call will be physio, you can also get a pessary ring which holds things up, but might not be suitable for you).
Go and ask!

It doesn't sound like its causing you too many probs as you weren't aware till told by 2 people who from the sounds of it have seen prolapses before and didn't think it was that bad?
I think if you are concerned though your best bet would be to go to the docs for full information. To put your mind at rest if nothing else.

Are prolapses really that common? That sounds like a big deal to me and mitigating that risk is one of the main reasons I'm going for an ELCS.

You can have a prolapse even if you have an ELCS....

It's statistically a lot less likely.

Pelvic floor exercises are always the first line of treatment. The NICE guidelines say that women should have done them for at least 6 months before surgery is even considered. Sometimes they eliminate the need for surgery but even if not, surgical outcomes are better if you have done pelvic floor training first.

Ask for a referral to a women's health specialist physio who will be able to check your technique and give you advice about managing the prolapse. They will refer you on to a surgeon in the future if necessary. One thing though, for the exercises (either before or after surgery) to be most effective, you have to be doing them a lot and for several months.

I saw a gynae physio for about six months after giving birth and the key was exercises. I also bought vaginal weights to use on her recommendation. Found these ok but took me a long time to be able to keep even the lowest weight in.