Prolapse? Or what else?

[snailz]

Hi hello I gave birth three weeks ago, for the past two weeks I believe I've had some kind of prolapse. I can feel a lump when I walk and it is very uncomfortable. The area feels dry and sore too. I went to see my doctor and she said there is no prolapse just lax walls which can be normal after birth? Doing a Google search everything I have read says lax walls are a prolapse so I'm confused by her diagnosis.

I took a picture when standing and could clearly see a smooth area which looks like a lump. I'm trying to find out what kind of prolapse this could be and what grade? I think it's something to do with the bladder as I constantly need to urinate when I stand or walk but not when I sit.

I'm really worrying about it all the time especially as my doctor was not helpful. I don't mind how it looks etc it's just the horrible feeling when I walk that I want to sort out. I'm doing my daily pelvic floors but they actually make the whole area ache quite badly. Iv tried to look for real images of prolapses but I can only find the drawn/cartoon type ones. Thank you for any advice.

OP go and see a different GP. It does sound like a prolapse (I'm not an expert but I have a prolapse).

You are very soon after the birth. Is this your first baby, and did you have a forceps or venthouse delivery? As you are so soon after the birth, it'd be hard to diagnose a prolapse I would think. If you do the pelvic floors lying down that might be easier. Are you breastfeeding? Your muscles are naturally lax after being pregnant and the birth, so you need to give them time to get back to their normal elasticity.
The GP wouldn't really diagnose anything so soon after the birth. I was told the same thing after my last baby - 'go home and do your pelvic floors'.
I had to wait a while before I could go elsewhere and be diagnosed with my prolapse. At this early stage, if it is a prolapse they will tell you to do the pelvic floors anyway. If you can get an appointment with a specialist physiotherapist, they will help you a lot. In the next few months you might well see a big difference if you persist with the correct exercises. They do take some months to work however, so you need to be patient. I got a good result with just exercises, until after the menopause when the muscles just get permanently lax due to changing hormones.
In other cases, there can be muscle damage after the birth so exercise alone won't fix that. But you won't really know until you give a pelvic floor programme a good go, with specialist support if possible...

yeah they don't tend to do anything for 6 months or so- give your body a chance to get back to normal. BUT insist if you can for a referral to a women's physio who specialises in pelvic floor issues. If you look online there is an excellent website by Michelle Kenway (in Oz) who is a physio and there are videos etc on her site- worth looking at to get your technique right.
If you can afford it you can have physio privately usually at your local BUPA hospital - fees vary but are around £60 a session.

Hi thanks so much for your replies. Is it normal to be in pain? When I do the pelvic floor the muscle hurts for hours after. What I'm worried about is having this constant discomfort when I walk. I feel like I'm slipping into depression as I'm too scared to walk. It's constantly on my mind. This is my 3rd baby, she was very fast only 13mins. I keep reading stories that a prolapse won't heal but I don't think them stories are pregnancy related x

You could leave the pelvic floors for a couple of weeks and give the muscles time to heal. Just rest as much as you can off your feet if that is possible. If there is a physio unit at the hospital where you gave birth, ring them and at least see can you get a call back for someone to speak to you. Is it worse or better if you need a poo or no difference?

I have found theeY do hurt after the exercises when you have recently given birth. It shouldn't be too bad though so maybe just do a few, not the whole number, build up to it slowly . I was told they would be a bit sore but doing them makes more oxygenated blood flow through the area and this speeds healing. Hth

Sadly, if this is your 3rd baby, the odds are that it is some prolapse. And the speed of delivery is a factor too.

You could try doing some very gentle PF work,(like 10 lifts twice a day) but TBH it's going to be a few weeks before a dr can get a good look and work out what's going on down there.

Do not lift anything heavy- try not to lift younger DCs. Put your feet up when you can.

It can be hard to diagnose a prolapse especially for GPs. You need to lie on your side and be examined with a speculum that allows them to see the walls. Did they do this?

'Lax walls' can be a sign of prolapse especially a front wall prolapse when the bladder pushes into the vagina. If you can hang on until your 6-week check up then you ought to insist on a referral to a gynae or women's physio to assess what's going on.