Rectocele repair

[Bridget944]

Hello I’m posting on here out of desperation. I have a 12 month old and a few months in from having him my vagina has been very weak. I used to suffer from chronic constipation (not anymore) then had him vaginally. When I strain for a toilet the bottom of my vagina buldges and I have to regularly press the buldge in to pass a stool. I do feel my cervix is also lower but the bowels are my main issue. I religiously do my pelvic floor exercises but haven’t seen much difference. My sex life feels like it is failing I don’t feel much down there anymore my vagina is very lax and wide. I need to speak to my partner but I’m so embarrassed. I’ve contacted doctors and waiting back for an appointment hoping they will refer me. Im only 27 but I definitely want/need some sort of surgery I can’t keep living life like this. Has anyone had surgery? If so what was the process and the wait for nhs ( im in the uk). I do want more children but if it means I couldn’t have surgery then I wouldn’t have any more. Please any advice , just want my old vagina back I feel broken

Could you see an obstetric physio privately? Less expensive than a private consultation and quicker than a GP appointment and a NHS referral. At least you would get a professional opinion and good advice.

Is that what it’s called like what i would need to see? If I pay to do that private and they see something is wrong can they refer me for further action or would I have to go back to my GP? I would be able to to some extent but money is tight atm due to working part time

Have you tried pelvic floor physio? I had the same as you and physio has made a massive difference and the physio also said to avoid surgery if at all possible. Also are you planning on more children? No point having surgery until you have completely finished your family as it can undo the surgery from just being pregnant with the weight and pressure.

You may be sent for some very embarrassing tests before you get to see the surgeon. I had a proctogram and then some sort of balloon tests up the bum.

I sympathise totally what you are going though, but really up the pelvic floor exercise and you may find a big difference in a few months.

@ItsSnowJokes I’m just so so down, I’m not done having children no , but if it meant they couldn’t fix me I wouldn’t have any more. I have been doing pelvic floor exercises every day for months, and before my pregnancy too. Things just seem to be getting worse since baby. I’d rather have my body and my sex life back than have another baby , expecially if I’d then get even worse. I just wanted to know if anyone had been offered surgery at my age and if it went well. I’m hoping this isn’t a long long process

@ItsSnowJokes did physio help tighten your down below? Is it any different from just pelvic floor exercises? I feel like mine is past helping without surgery I don’t want to live with this forever :(

This is worth watching. Elaine Miller is a pelvic floor physiotherapist. She is very funny, and really knows her stuff.

A physio will help you do pelvic floor exercises correctly. Most people don't do them right or for long enough.

It is a long road before surgery, they will try everything they can before doing surgery (and as said be prepared for some embarassing tests) as its not a nice surgery to have or recover from. It also can have a high rate of failure. This is why I decided to stick with the physio and not have the surgery. My child is now 5 and I rarely have issues.

Personally at your young age I would have all the children you want and then get it sorted. You could ask for a csection if you had another one to help prevent anymore damage but pregnancy can cause damage as well.

I had a cystocele and rectocele after DC2.
I was referred to a pelvic floor physio and also saw a consultant gynae. He basically said he could repair it but another pregnancy would likely undo it. He said it was often pregnancy itself as much as the birth that caused the problem. I had hyperemesis and a chronic cough so coughed and vomited throughout both pregnancies.
He also said repairs tend to need repeating and the first is usually the best.
In the end I decided against surgery while I had two young DC because of the risk. I thought I might do it later but never did and it hasn't got any worse in 26 years.

@SortingOffice can I ask how old you was? Can I ask if they offered you the choice of surgery and what the waiting times were like? Can I ask if you have problems with sex /feeling loose and can I ask if physio improved the condition? I’m only 27 years old

Hi, I had these after birth. I was referred to an NHS physio and it has made a world of a difference. I was not doing the exercises properly or frequently enough before the referral. They were also reluctant to do surgery before 50 as it usually needs to be repeated every 10 years (which is exactly the gap my mum had between her surgeries). Good luck, I hope you find a solution for you

I had NHS physio which was fantastic & taught me how to do kegels correctly. I then had a programme set for me on a pelvic floor machine with a probe. She changed the programme each fortnight depending on the assessment she did in the appointment and sent me home with my instructions on frequency of use. That worked wonders. I have since bought myself a kegel 8 which is a branded version with pre-set programmes. Everything is so much better down there when i use it regularly. Don't be embarrassed, loads of us have these issues!

end,ofagain thanks for linking that video, what an interesting and powerful speech.

@12345FishAlive dis you have the same symptoms as me ? My main consern is helping myself go the loo and the larger vagina :( sis things improve massively or ? I don’t know why I haven’t got much faith in physio! How long did you have to wait for your referral ?did you have tests? I’ve got a kegal8 and even that hasn’t improved me

I had surgery but was older (40s) and had finished having children. That was 10 years ago and no sign of failure, there is a reasonably high failure rate but if you make lifestyle changes (eg not too much heavy lifting or high impact exercise) there's a good chance of success. The key thing is taking it VERY easy in the weeks after surgery, it's quite a long recovery.

I had stage 4 prolapse but was told that pressing my perineum to go to the loo may never stop because stage 4 isn't fully reversible. She also showed me a device which is designed to be used in the vagina to help when going to the loo, it was a bit like a shoe horn at a right angle which you insert to hold everything up while you go to the loo. I didn't end up getting one but there are things out there you may not be aware of. Using a stool for my feet when going to the loo helps massively too, I'm going to have to think of a reason to keep the stools in the bathroom once the kids don't need them to reach the sink anymore. On holiday I often use the bathroom bin as a stool or lift my feet on to the loo seat, I'd heard it could help but after the physio explained it all to me I took the advice seriously, gave it a go and it makes emptying myself much easier. 4 years on things are still more baggy down there and if I use the kegel 8 regularly I can feel the improvement so I think I am on top of things and wouldn't want surgery of I don't absolutely need it. Good luck with it all OP

@12345FishAlive thankyou for your advice. I’m struggling where I’m so young feel like my life is over , I want to pick up my little boy , I want to train at the gym and not suffer with aches in my belly and back, I’m always so bloated expecially end of the day. I know surgery isn’t a quick fix but I’m healthy, I’m not overweight and a non smoker surely it has better success rate than in an older or larger woman?

@EspeciallyDeIighted can I ask if you are in UK? Did you do this through nhs? Was it hard to get or did they offer ? How long was the wait? How did it all go? Did you have rectocele surgery? I definitely have rectocele but feel my cervix is also Lower :( I’m not done having children but I can’t live with this is be done if it was the only way I could have surgery

Yes in the UK, the wait was a few months I think but it was 10 years ago, could be completely different now. I did have to have lots of other testa too. I bypassed the physio stage because I had already seen one after DC2's birth but all they had done was tell me to do kegels which wasn't enough.

It's been successful but if I had my time again I would have asked for another go at physio first, or gone to a private one. Maybe start by seeing if there is a GP at your practice who specialises in women's health and make an appt with them.

@EspeciallyDeIighted can I ask why you would have asked to go to physio if you could go back if it’s been successful?

Because it needed 6 weeks off work, 12 weeks in total to recover, there was a chance it wouldn't work and there ia a chance it will fail in future and need more surgery. I know a lot more now than I did then about other ways of managing it.

They could do the repair and you could opt for c section.

Just adding that my physio was self referral, the doctor gave me a phone number and I was seen within a couple of weeks. This was 4 years ago so may be longer now but I thought I'd add the information because you asked and I forgot to say

@12345FishAlive thankyou! Are you in the uk? I don’t know if they will refer to physio or will they refer for gyno? Just be a peice of mind to know the extent Of things! I had the uncomfortable conversation with my partner tonight but he swore to me that sex feels no different to him but I don’t see how that is possible!

I am, Northwest England. I knew about the issues from a few weeks before I gave birth to my second child. My midwife told me to phone the doctors after I'd given birth to get the referral number. I think the damage had been done during my first birth but I didn't seek help until bulges were protruding out of my vagina when I was heavily pregnant the second time. Well done for talking to your partner, I think it makes things so much easier when you have someone in real life to discuss these things with.

I had a cystocele and very mild rectocele, straining is your worst enemy. Have you been prescribed any stool softeners? They helped me a lot but I still had the problem of not feeling 'finished' until about 18 months after baby was born. I saw the women's health physio who said I was actually in need of relaxing my pelvic floor before doing the exercises effectively so please see a WH physio if you haven't, mine was amazing and gave me a lot of comforting advice and support.

Repair is always a possibility but I would say most women don't suffer worse problems having another child so it's worth completing your family first. I know this must seem insane to hear. Are you on Facebook? FPOPS UK is just the best group to join, all the advice, experience and support you could wish for.

I hope things improve for you soon and send you lots of solidarity, it's an awful experience and so little talked of. There is hope.