Coping with Prolapse / Sex with Prolapse

[ProseccoCheeseBooks]

If you have a prolapse have you been able to improve it, or even get rid of it entirely?
If you have a prolapse and haven’t been able to improve it, have you been able to live with it ok?
Does having sex seriously have no impact on the prolapse and doesn’t worsen it?

I had a baby and it was considered AMA/geriatric pregnancy due to my age. I suppose having a baby at this age, I should have expected this. At 6 weeks postpartum I felt like something was falling out of me, only had the feeling for a day. When discharged from the midwife she had a look and said I looked fine so I left it. I kept having the dragging feeling though so at the 8 week GP appointment I mentioned it, GP didn’t look just said “sounds like prolapse, do pelvic floor” that was it. It wasn’t feeling right and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I paid for a physio who specialises in prolapse and she was amazing. I have a grade 2 anterior wall vaginal prolapse (cystorole). She showed me how to do pelvic floor and I have to do a mix of slow and fast exercises three times a day for a month and then I’ll see her again. I also am doing oestrogen pessaries for 2 weeks. Absolutely no other exercise, no heavy lifting.

Some days I feel ok about this all. I feel grateful I got my baby at this age and this was the only negative outcome. Some days though I feel awful. It’s the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing at night. I can’t get back to sleep after night feeds for thinking about it. It really can consume me, the worry about it getting worse and having to live with it.

I read online, and the physio backed this up, that sex has no impact on the prolapse. I find this hard to believe given that running can have serious consequences, but sex wouldn’t? So I am fearful about that too.

Any advice whatsoever, gratefully received.
thank you

I have a grade 1 rectocele. Been living with it since my daughter’s birth over 11 years ago. It was grade 2 for awhile. I totally felt like you when I was coming to terms with it.

However, despite it being annoying sometimes (pooping is…interesting) but I don’t think about it much anymore.

The “no running, no heavy lifting” is outdated advice imo. Since lifting weights mine has improved! Maybe it’s different for a cystocele?

Are you breastfeeding?

Sex is totally fine. It moves out of the way. Just give yourself time and plenty of lube.
It will get better!
It will get easier to live with.

I had a rectocele after the birth of DD2. TMI, but it felt like a tampon was stuck! I stuck to pelvic floor exercises religiously, and 4 years later, I can’t even feel it (and I felt the improvement before 4 years!). Sex has never been an issue thankfully.

Thank you so much @Covidwoes and @ButtCheeks. I don’t have any friends who have experienced prolapse, so to have your words and conversation means a lot to me. Thank you. It’s so great to hear that you don’t really think about it any more. I’m hoping that’ll be the case. I’ve been regimented with my exercises so fingers crossed. I’m not breastfeeding any more. And thank you for your comments re sex. I just couldn’t get my head around it but to hear from people with experience that it’s ok, is a big help. I’m glad for you both that it’s all settled and liveable.

@ProseccoCheeseBooks I’m surprised more women haven’t commented.

I’ve been where you are- stage 2 bladder and endlessly trawling through mumsnet and the internet for hope that other people got better. I was very upset about the whole thing. Nearly 6 months later and regular kegels/no lifting/oestogen pessaries I can tell you that the improvement have been remarkable. I don’t have a constant tampon feeling and it doesn’t niggle away at me all day. Sometimes I even forget it’s there.

If you haven’t seen a pelvic floor therapist, do so immediately and buy yourself the Elvie Pelvic Floor trainer. It teaches you how to properly do a Kegel. I thought I knew but I was very wrong!

I really hope to return to running after a year but taking it slow and just walking lots for now. Let me know how you get on in a few months?