What is prolapse?
Basically prolapse means a protruding or falling through of a body part.
In most cases it is a pelvic organ, usually the uterus, bladder or bowel, that protrudes through the weakened pelvic floor muscles.
What are the symptoms of prolapse?
Early on, you may not notice the signs of prolapse, but your doctor or nurse may be able to see it when you have your routine pap smear test.
If you have a prolapse, you may notice things such as:
- a lump bulging out of your vagina that you can see or feel
- a heavy sensation or dragging in the vagina
- something ‘coming down' or a lump in the vagina
- difficulty emptying your bladder or bowel.
- lower back pain
- sexual problems (pain or less sensation)
- weak urine stream
- recurring urinary tract infections
These signs and symptoms can be worse at the end of the day and may improve after lying down. If the prolapse bulges right outside your body, you may feel sore and bleed as the prolapse rubs on your underwear.
If this sounds like something that may be happening to you, please seek medical attention ASAP.
Remember your doctor has seen it all before and there is no reason for shame or embarrassment when you need medical help.
That being said, prolapse is very common and there are a number of causes, some of these may include pregnancy, child birth, menopause, constipation and even excessive coughing.
Prolapse can often be treated without surgery, especially in the early stages and when the prolapse is mild. This approach can include:
- pelvic floor muscle training with the advice of a Physiotherapist or Nurse Continence Specialist
- understanding what caused your prolapse, and making necessary lifestyle changes, such as improving your diet, fluid intake, exercising and losing weight
- being aware of good bowel and bladder habits to avoid straining on the toilet
- having a pessary (a silicone device that fits into your vagina) carefully measured and placed into the vagina to provide internal support for your pelvic organs.
Surgery can repair torn or stretched support tissues such as ligaments and vaginal wall connective tissue, to help support the pelvic organs.
The surgery strengthens the vaginal wall and helps the vaginal wall connective tissues better support the pelvic organs.
After surgery, you should make sure you:
- have expert training to ensure your pelvic floor muscles work to support your pelvic organs
- avoid straining when using your bowels
- keep your weight within the right range for your height and age
- learn safe ways of lifting, including sharing the lifting of heavy loads
- see your doctor if you have a cough that won't go away, and
- see your doctor if these measures don't lead to improvement.
So, what is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a system of muscles, ligaments, tissue, and nerves arranged at the bottom of the pelvis that form a hammock supporting your bladder and uterus. Sometimes it feels sore, sometimes it feels amazing and other times it can feel like it’s being pushed and pulled in all different directions. As women our pelvic floor goes through a lot, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. Exercising your pelvic floor muscles helps to prevent and manage incontinence and as a fabulous bonus, it can make your sex even more pleasurable. Umm…Yes please!
At Naked Passion we are all for better sex, so maintaining a healthy, strong pelvic floor is very important and relatively easy to achieve.
Pop in to your local store and grab some Kegal balls, also called, Ben Wa balls, Orgasm balls, Yoni balls, Venus balls and may other fun names, but they are all weighted balls that people buy for use either as a sex toy and masturbatory aid or as a training device used to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles in conjunction with Kegal exercises.
Kegal balls have become more popular after being featured in the Fifty Shades of Grey series, but they’ve been around since about 500 CE.
Kegal balls are designed to be inserted in the vagina. They usually come in pairs and are sometimes linked together by a string. They may also have a string that dangles and can make their removal easier. They come in a variety of weights and sizes and can be made from many different materials, including metal, glass, silicone, and plastic.
They should not be used for more than four hours at a time, 5 to 30 minutes is plenty, depending on your body’s abilities. Additionally, they should not be used either during pregnancy or while recovering from childbirth. Insertion is quick and simple but using a small amount of lubricant can help too, and always make sure you clean your Kegal balls, after every use, by using an antibacterial toy cleaner.
So, now that you are a little more informed about prolapse and how to manage your pelvic floor muscles, you will be able to have more fun in the bedroom and maybe no longer pee a little when you sneeze!
I bet you’re doing your Kegal exercises right now.