Has anyone sufered from a rectocele???

[amy2507]

Hi,

Has anybody suffered with a rectocele? i think i may be suffering?

after giving birth naturaly 8 months ago to my DS i have been have lots of bowl problems and after searching the net i think i have finnaly found an answer.

I have been visiting my gp but they have not been much use.I am feeling very self concious about my symptoms also as i am only 22 and never thought i would be suffering these sort of symptoms until i was alot older

i have heard this is quite common after having larger babies? my ds was 9lb and had shoulder dystosia upon delivery so birth was quite traumatic.

can anybody help???

I have exactly the same problem and im 27 with 2 kids. I visited my GP and asked to be refered. He did and after seeing the gyne he refered me for surgery which i am having on wed. I thought i was too young for this too but its common in all ages. If your GP isnt much use ask for a second opinion, dont be afraid thats what theyre here for. Both my births were small and uncomplicated. I think it can happen to anyone.

Hi there

Yes! I got one. Had dds, 10lb and 10.5lb - two heavy babies and rough births. Then a few years ago I did an egg donation cycle for a friend. My ovaries swelled up and I looked about 5-6 months pregnant by the time they did the retrieval. This put additional strain on an already weakened pelvic floor. I started having problems with BMs the day after I went for egg retrieval, it was horrifying.

I've just had surgery (3 weeks ago) to repair it and rebuild my perineum which was in poor shape after a badly stitched episiotomy after dd2 - see the thread on posterior repairs. So far, so good, I am very happy with the results. Already BMs are easier - like normal - and I feel all is more like it was before I had my dcs. It's a great feeling and so good for my confidence.

I feel for you, because it took me a while to find a name for what was wrong with me and I didn't realise how common it was - I felt like a freak. But loads of women get this - all ages. Surgery isn't the only option, it can be managed, and milder ones even reversed, with pelvic floor exercises. The important thing is to avoid constipation and straining when having BMs, this aggravates a rectocele and can make it more severe. I have gone for surgery because my family is complete now.

Don't allow yourself to be fobbed off by an unsympathetic GP. Find another, or ask for a gynae referral. A gynae will be able to give you an objective assessment of how severe your problem is and the best way to deal with it. If surgery is indicated, this can be done on the NHS. Don't be embarrassed and don't suffer in silence. You are entitled to help with this.

You will find a lot of support on here, too. Good luckx

Hi guys, thought id replied erlier today but must not of posted???

1st off id like to thank peeps for their support really helps to know ur not alone

went to my gp again!!!!

still not much help so i am going to see a different gp next week.

my gp says its constipation? even after describing my symptoms(in full graphic detail)she still dismissed it, i felt that as soon as i told her id been on the internet and thought i knew what my problem was, she sort of stops listening!!!!

i know some people can over react after searching the net for health advise but i know my body and i know its not just constipation, getting really fed up, has anyone else had this sort of attitude against this problem??

Hi, I was about to post a new thread because I feel sorry for myself after having an ambulatory test yesterday for bladder weakness. I have a rectocele and a cystocele and at times, I have real problems with any bowel movements.

I can't get tampons in properly, I wee when I laugh, when i run and when I pick up my son.

I have had three cystometrograms, at two different hospitals and yesterday was the peice de resistance ! I was cathetered, had a tube shoved up my fanjo, had to wear two pairs of knickers made of net and a huge pad with a metal strip across. I was wired up t a box the size of a shoe box and sent out for two hours walking round town to see if I would wee and they could record it.

I am only 39 and I feel like I am 79

I had my second ds three years ago who was 10.14 and had a hell of a job getting him out.

If I was a man, would I still be putting up with this

You are not alone amy.

amy I'm not impressed with your GP, good that you are going to see another. Don't be fobbed off. Any GP who resents patients looking up stuff on the internet is living in the Dark Ages anyway - we all have so much more access to health info these days. Look at how many people post here on Mumsnet and within a few hours can benefit from others' experience - more useful I'm sure very often than going to some inept GP (and I am not anti- the medical profession in any way).

If you have a rectocele it will cause problems with BMs, but it's not the same as constipation. Laxatives, stool softeners, etc can help a little, but the basic problem is a mechanical one, rather than one with a sluggish digestive system.

When you see the new GP see if you can get a gynae referral. A gynaecologist sees this kind of thing all the time and won't be so ignorant.

MTCAL - I'm so sorry, you sound terribly fed up, and the apparatus you had to wear sounds medieval. Hope you get the help you need to find a solution soon.

Good luck x

Georgiegirl2 are you still on here? Was reading old posts about rectocele repair and wondered how things are now? I'm having a lot of problems with this (bms very difficult ) and considering surgery myself and hope you are doing ok down the line.