MN Can we please support/highlight this? Pelvic Organ Prolapse

[Shakey15000]

PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE

There. In big letters. Affects so many of us (there are some really supportive threads on MN) but it needs awareness raising.

I belong to APOPS-

www.pelvicorganprolapsesupport.org/pelvic-organ-prolapse-the-silent-epidemic-3

A really informative and helpful site. There is also a FB site that again, is extremely informative and supportive.

The founder has recently embarked on a large campaign to highlight awareness. I enquired if she had approached Mumsnet (as it seems obvious) and she informs me that yes, she had approached MN but sadly had no response?

Is this something that can be rectified revisited? It's such a huge, invisible and relatively unknown condition that I'm sure MN would be a great advocate. Perhaps MN could invite the founder to a Webchat?

I, for one, have suffered, am still suffering in fact. I considered myself to be quite well informed and I'd never heard of it! I actually though it was predominantly a "male" thing, then realised I was muddling it up with prostate

Anyhow, would anyone like to badger suggest a Webchat about it? The founder has said she is more than happy to send the book and I'm quite sure she's also jump at the chance to use MN's worldwide platform to raise awareness.

Thanks in advance

This is such an important topic for mums. I am really struggling even with a mild prolapse. Terrified of surgery after the mesh information/issues, but sad I can run/jump or lift my little girl. 3 years on its a bit better but a daily struggle not to get constipated or sneeze and wee myself. I wish I had known that by insisting on pushing so long I could cause such issues. Please let's get the message out there. It can't always be avoided but I'd never heard of it before having my little one.

Raises hand

I lack the energy to contribute my story, but yes yes yes with bells on.

It's one of the things that makes me angry about men who campaign against abortion, fervently insisting that it's just nine months of your life. There is such total ignorance on the true costs of vaginal deliveries for so many women. I'd have sections planned now in a heartbeat, if I could go back in time.

I'm a midwife - the more information about this the better. I've looked after women who are having their second babies and are fully incontinent due to POP but have been told to wait until they've completed their families before having any repair work done. It's sensible advice but the impact on their mental health, self esteem, sex lives, social lives, physical health - basically every aspect of health and wellbeing - is massive. But women simply don't hear about it until they're diagnosed.

Another fervent supporter. I'm a healthcare professional and appalled by how ignorant I was about prolapse - and the risks I had inadvertently taken out of ignorance.
Women need to be able to access information relevant to them but you can't know what no-one tells you, and you can't make appropriate decisions without information.
I have learned more from online forums than any medical .professionals I have encountered on my prolapse journey

There is such tremendous value in women supporting women, especially related to conditions that impact our quality of life in so many ways. Zero doubt, POP impacts our lives physically, emotionally, socially, sexually, out fitness regimens, our employment. For POP to remain shrouded in silence despite nearly 4000 years on medical record is absurd. Zero doubt POP awareness will generate the next significant shift in women's health.

To every woman in MN who has experienced urinary or fecal incontinence (I have experienced both at some point, wrote an article about the fecal incontinence episode), pain with intimacy, chronic constipation, or vaginal tissue bulge or pressure, I encourage you to do a self-test. At the end of the day (especially if you stand to work), go into the bathroom and lock the door, then take a hand held mirror and check to see if tissues are bulging at the outer edge or outside of your vagina. This is an indicator that you have some degree of prolapse.

There are 5 types of POP, 4 degrees of severity, and all women need to educate themselves because we are not routinely screened for POP during pelvic exams despite childbirth and menopause being the leading causes. So much needs to change regarding appropriate women's pelvic health screening. The voices of women around the world will generate change!

It is both wonderful and sad to read all of the responses. Wonderful that each of us knows we are not alone, sad that most of us have never heard of this. I hope MN will look into having Sherrie Palm participate in the podcast(s). She has presented/participated in the American Urological Association (AUA) Conference 2017 & 2016
Mediterranean Incontinence and Pelvic Floor Society (MIPS) Conference 2016; Society for Pelvic Research 2017;
American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) Prolapse Consensus 2016; and hosted 2016 Women's Pelvic Health Congress in 2016. She is so well versed on the subject and because she has pelvic organ prolapse herself she completely understands the difficulties we face. There are over 7000 on her facebook support forum. Her book was mentioned several times in earlier threads. I do not think you could find a better spokes person to help educate us and spread awareness.

I think side effects of pregnancy like prolapse need to be taught as part of sex Ed. It can't have a negative effect on teen pregnancy rates, as a side benefit!!

Ks I had the surgery last year, I was convinced I wouldn't wake up but it was fine. Mesh is generally saved for later issues, an initial repair will (usually, I can't promise always) be tissue only :)
(Incidentally I have the mesh for a inguinal hernia repair - not had an issue with it for nearly 30 years)

Yes, mumsnet is an obvious place for this and I'd like to see it supported here and lots of info available here please!

I would totally support this!

Absolutely! A webchat and anything we can do to raise awareness is great.

Definitely needs to be brought more to the attention of all women in general. I sUffered a prolapse 8 months after having my son shifting a large wardrobe I then endured two surgeries to correct it, not great results unfortunately, and was retired on ill health grounds as a result as couldn't carry out my job! The physical and emotional symptoms horrendous as totally misunderstood by many!

I FULLY support this

It’s only because I used to read the ‘any old prolapse’ threads on MN and scare myself silly when I was pregnant with my first that I guessed I had some form of prolapse just after my second.

It was only because of the AOP threads on here that I made an appointment & got diagnosed quickly. So I knew to not get constipated and avoid high impact exercise.

It was a major factor in choosing to have my third privately under consultant care (I know I am very lucky to have had that as an option) so we could keep an eye on my prolapse and include managing it in my birth plan I wanted to avoid a c-section if I could but trusted my consultant to make a call on how the labour was progressing and what sort of further damage might be done by another vaginal delivery.

I have had physio every week since my 6 week check with my second.

Luckily, so far, my POP is mild and ONLY because I’d come across the issue on MN I feel I’ve been able to look after it well.

Thank God for the AOP threads. This issue is not discussed at all elsewhere and I fully support MN doing more to increase awareness.

Thank you OP for starting this thread.

This seems like it would be a very worthwhile webchat and campaign to support.

Adding support to this too! I've got two friends suffering from prolapses at the moment and before I spoke to them I knew nothing about it. It's such an important issue, the help they've had has been patchy at best (one basically got told to go away and lose weight) and I don't understand how with everything else you get told post-birth it doesn't get a look in!

There is a mner here who is a POP specialist of some kind (maybe a physiotherapist??), I'm sure I remember. Will have a think what her name is...

@sleeponeday I know the lack of energy of which you speak

Adding my support to this. Have v mild POP (I think) - no incontinence but it feels all wrong - sent to the bladder and bowel clinic where the nurse (?) was lovely but said it was not the right clinic for my issues. So still waiting to see whoever the right person is...

The French post-natal care sounds excellent. I read an article ages ago saying it was so wives could make their vaginas ready for their husbands again and I thought "how ridiculous!" Except three kids later, one by forceps, one weighing 9'4" and two with retained placentas, I TOTALLY get it. I want that French vaginal physio!

For my prolapse diagnosis made me feel immediately like an Old Lady. Medical professionals commenting it was less likely this side of the menopause did not help. For me it was a hugely depressing diagnosis

Yes please MN for web chat with Sherie Palm. POP has had a major impact on my life, we need to spread the word in the hope of preventing suffering.

I would be happy to mail a copy of the 3rd edition to MN as Shakey15000 mentioned for MN review, to see if appropriate info to share (info can be found on the link in her post). It is so important women know signs of POP that seldom get talked mentioned in multiple posts above, such as urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, vaginal tissue bulge, chronic constipation, pain with intimacy, back pain, pelvic pressure, vaginal pressure, rectal pressure, bloat, tampons pushing out. Women may only have 1 really pronounced symptom or may have multiple less pronounced symptoms. These symptoms do not always mean POP, but very often do-50% of women will experience this condition. It is imperative we educate ourselves, and pass the info on to our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends in order to raise general awareness. POP has been on medical record for nearly 4000 years, long past time to open the closet door. Childbirth is the leading cause, followed by menopause, two of the most significant life events women navigate, we women should be screened for POP during routine pelvic exams but are not. Much is in motion, zero doubt POP will generate the next significant shift in women's health directives.

Completely agree really screening. If I'd known I definitely wouldn't have done a trampolining class which made it worse.

I'd support this and I'm shocked I've never heard it discussed. I'm curious, does anyone know if your GP checks you when they do a PAP? If you have a mild one do Kegel exercises help?

Sounds terrifying. I want to know how to prevent it, if that's possible.

DJ they generally don't check. The problem is, prolapse isn't always obvious on looking when you are lying down - you'll need to bear down or have gravity on it for it to show unless it's at the very most severe end

I'm not sure if kegels help at the mild end. I've done them religiously (and properly - I checked) since I was a teen, but my genes obv weren't onside (with the EDS) so I don't know if it would have made a difference otherwise? My surgeon did comment that I had a ridiculously strong pelvic floor for someone in having the op