Minor vaginal prolapse- do pelvic floor exercises help?!

[SaraL77]

I've been told I've got a minor or mild vaginal prolapse (my DS2 is 4 mths old) and been told to do pelvic floor exercises for 3 months to see if they help before considering any other options. I wasn't referred to a gyno physio which I'm a bit annoyed about as I have heard some people are. I want to know if anyone has had this and found the exercises successful?

I was just starting to exercise after the birth of my son and am very upset that this could cause long term problems, prevent me from getting fit, and even worse, could get worse and result in surgery.

I was also considering having a 3rd child but if this would increase the chances of it getting worse I may have to call it a day with 2 kids.

Does this mean I can't go running anymore? The doc told me to lay off the running for a few weeks, but from what I've read on the net, running is a big no if you have any kind of prolapse.

any info/advice very welcome!

I had a slight/minor prolapse after the birth of my second child 10 years ago. It didn't bother me at all - I have always kept fit, running twice a week without any problems.

About a year ago it started to feel a bit uncomfortable and so I mentioned it to my GP who referred me for physio. I found it really useful as she taught how to do pelvic floor exercise properly and I then had to do them 5 times a day for about 3 months. The exercises really did make a difference but you have to keep them up and don't expect to notice a difference straight away - it takes a few weeks. She advised me not to run or do certain types of exercises such as lunges/skipping & running for a while.

I saw the physio 3 times and now just try and do pelvic floor exercises twice a day. The physio I saw said that my prolapse won't go go way completely but through doing pelvic floor exercises it won't get any worse and is doing me no harm. She also said that it would be unlikely that a mild/moderate prolapse like mine would be considered for surgery. I am still able to keep fit and sometimes run but not as much as I used to as I have found other ways to exercise which I enjoy just as much.

My advice to you would be to get yourself referred to a specialist physio so you can make sure you are doing the pelvic floor exercises properly and definitely give them a go because they worked for me. You will still be able to keep fit - I've just learnt what works best for me and adapted my fitness programme to suit it.

Good luck & I hope it works out for you.

Hi saral.77 i have plf weakness and i went 2 london 4 biofeed back but it did nothin 4 me. But that doesnt mean it wont 4 u. U need 2 go on the health thread theres a new thread which im on and thats prolaspes pfd

I had a repair after DC 2. approx 15 years after the repair I tried running- i felt a bit loose- went back to gynae and physio- they said no running.

And yes, a 3rd baby would make it worse- you might have option of a caesar but eventhat would not guarantee things.

Hi OP - similar situation to you - minor prolapse after DC2 (now 4 yrs) + stress incontinence (no embarrassing accidents yet luckerly - although I avoid star jumps and trampolines!!).

Didn't know running is not recommended! I only run once a week - doesn't seem to be making it worse (I hope!).

Seems to feel worse during my period.

Would like ttc DC3 (if DH ever changes his mind) but maybe not a good idea. Has anyone out there ever had a minor prolapse after DC2 and then gone on to have DC3 - did that make it worse?

thanks for your replies- sorry been away.

I think I might try and get referred then to make sure I'm doing the pelvic floor exercises correctly as the doc told me to do them for 3 months and I don't want to waste time if I do them wrong.

sorry whiffy2334 how do I find that thread?

yeah I'd also like to know if anyone's had another child after a mild/moderate prolapse. The only thing they told me was that I could have surgery (if it got worse) but not if I wanted another child, so I'm guessing the only way is to have another one and then get it fixed but I don't want it to get worse or that could really be awful to deal with.

Bromley98 what do you do instead of running then? I'm assuming aerobic classes that involve a lot of jumping are not a great idea. I need to lose a bit of weight after the birth of DC2 so need to do aerobic. Have done some cycling (though its a bit sore after that) and swimming but I only find running has the best effect on reducing my waistline.

I have a feeling I had the same before DC2 as I had it checked out and although the doctor thought it was ok I had the same little 'bit' hanging out as i do now, so maybe she thought it wasn't much, or maybe it has got a bit worse.

After I had my third baby I suffered from leakage. Very embarrassing at the time. I was (or thought I was) diligent at doing my kegel exercises starting a few days after delivery but it seemed to make no difference. This was around 14 years ago, but it took me until 2 years ago to actually do anything about it. I bought an Athena Pelvic toner and it started to work after a few weeks. It felt a bit strange at first and I was embarrassed about using it in front of my Dh so got into the routine of using it in private before I went to bed. After a while, I didn't bother and he knew I was using it. Everything is ok now (touch wood).

thanks cpjve I'll look into that then, maybe those things are the answer. If they work then they're worth it!

Hi, I was left with moderate cystocele and mild rectocele after DS (22 months). I used an electronic pelvic toner (Kegal8 Tight and Tone) and it helped a lot. I am still aware of it, (usually a bit worse before my period which my gyne says is usual) but I do have days where I forget about it. I'm now 18 weeks pregnant with DC2 and have been told there is no reason I shouldn't have a normal vaginal birth. I've also been told that the damage has been done and it's unlikely that a second vaginal birth will make it much worse, although I confess I am very sceptical about this myself. I have been told absolutely no running, impact exercise or weight lifting, which includes post corrective surgery that I plan to have after DC2. As an aside, things did also feel better after I'd lost the baby weight, although of course that may have just coincided with the pelvic exercises and the natural healing which takes anything up to a year.

I was always slim and bounced back after the births of my 3 children. I had no idea about pelvic floor exercises, no one ever mentioned this 30 years ago. It wasn't until I got to 50 and I had to have a hysterectomy because of a prolapse. I thought great all sorted now, I wasn't told to exercise, so 8 years later yet another prolapse, this time it resulted in ending up with pudendal nerve damage through the operation. I really don't want to frightened anyone, as nerve damage is really rare and I was really unlucky. I just want to get the word out girls, PLEASE do your pelvic floors. It has nothing to do with being slim, I still am. I'm a granny now and sadly can't roll around on the floor with my gorgeous grandchildren. I want to get the word out there DO YOUR PELVIC FLOORS please. I know lots of woman who've had prolapse surgery and are fine and like I said it's really, really rare to end up like me but just by doing your exercises you can avoid a prolapse.

I had Incontinence and small prolapse after my pregnancy. look everywhere for a good women health physio. then i found this frenchies call mummys physio and i back to normal and even better has they have a team who made me work on pelvic floor on my core muscles and other kind of exercises. I am back running , jumping and jumping again :)