Understanding Pelvic Organ Prolapse

    Pelvic Organ prolapse is defined as when internal organs “fall down or slip out of place”.  It is considered a prolapsed when organs protrude through the vagina or rectum.     Let’s review the different types of prolapses:

     

    Pelvic Organ / Pelvic Floor Prolapse:

    This is a relatively common type of prolapse.    Pelvic Organ prolapse can occur internally, where the bladder, uterus, vagina, and rectum lose their support from the pelvic floor and start to bulge out of the vagina.  The pelvic floor organs descend from their normal positions, and can cause organs to protrude through the vagina or rectum. 

    Pelvic floor prolapse is often caused by a weak pelvic floor due to weakened muscles.  Weakened muscles of the pelvic floor are usually a result of:

    Why does Pelvic Organ Prolapse Happen?

    The natural aging process

    As we age, we lose our muscle mass and the ability to form new muscles is impaired.  This muscle loss is not limited to external muscles – biceps and quads, but also includes our internal muscles such as the pelvic floor muscles.  The pelvic floor muscles are the internal muscles that support all of our female autonomy , including our bladder, uterus, etc.

    Childbirth:

    Childbirth can weaken our pelvic floor muscles, and therefore reduce the effectiveness of holding our internal organs in place.  Vaginal childbirth can stretch out our pelvic floor muscles causing a reduction in their capabilities to support our internal organs.  Prolonged deliveries – especially the pushing phase – can further distress the pelvic floor muscles.  Large bagies can also negatively affect the pelvic floor muscles, leading to pelvic floor prolapse.

    Obesity:

    Being obese is associated with reduced pelvic floor strength, as the extra weight adds stress to these muscles.

    Smoking:

    Smoking decreases the amount of small blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.  This decrease will reduce the performance of all muscles in your body, including your pelvic floor muscles.  In additional, smoking reduces your capabilities to exercise hindering your lung and heart function.   Finally, a ‘smoker’s cough’ that develops for many smokers further stresses out your pelvic floor muscles.

     

    What are symptoms of Pelvic Organ Prolapse?

    • Pain and pressure in your pelvis
    • Feeling like you need to urinate constantly
    • Constipation
    • Painful Sex
    • A feeling that something is falling out of your vagina
    • Low back pain
    • Urine leaking
    • Spotting or bleeding from your vagina

     

    What are the types of Pevlic Organ Prolapse?

    There are 6 types of Pelvic Organ Prolapse listed below:

    Cystocele: 

    This is the most common type of pelvic organ prolapse.  It happens when the bladder prolapses into the vagina.  It is also knowns as a prolapsed bladder.  Cystocele can lead to recurrent UTI’s as well as difficulty urinating or fully emptying your bladder.

    Urethrocele: 

    This occurs when the urethra prolapses.  This usually occurs due to weakened muscles surrounding the urethra that hold it in place.  Urethrocele typically has no symptoms, but sometimes symptons can include incontinence, increased urge to urinate, and difficulty emptying the bladder.

    Uterine Prolapse:

    This is a type of prolapse that occurs when the uterus starts to descend toward or into the vagina.  Uterine Prolapse is one of the most common reason for women over the age of 55 to undergo a hysterectomy.  As with many other types of prolapses, Uterine prolapse risks include being overweight, menopause, pregnancy as well as childbirth.

    Vaginal Vault Prolapse: 

    This occurs when the top of the vagina stars to sag or slip down into the bottom area of the vagina.  Vaginal vault prolapse often occurs in conjunction with other types of prolapse, such as bladder, urethra rectal or small bowel prolapse.

    Enterocele Prolapse: 

    This is prolapse of the small intestine into the lower pelvic cavity. 

    Rectocele Prolapse: 

    This is not an official prolapse, however it is a ‘bulging’ at the back wall of the vagina that occurs when the wall between the vagina and the rectum become weak, causing the rectum to push against and bulge the wall between them.  This wall is called the rectovaginal septum. 

     

    What the heck can I do if I am experiencing any of these Organ prolapses?

    Many of these prolapses have one thing in common – weak PC muscles (pelvic floor muscles).  Depending on the severity of your condition, the most common thread in the suggestions for improvement and reduction in all cases of organ prolapse is to strengthen your internal pelvic floor muscles.

    If your condition is mild to moderate, it is often enough to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, either by doing kegel exercises, or by using a stimulation machine to contract and relax your PC muscles automatically.  This is where our YoniFlex pelvic floor strengthener can provide you with great benefit.

    Instead of manually contracting (tightening) and relaxing (loosening) your pelvic floor (PC) muscles hundreds of times a day, our YoniFlex machine does this aromatically hundreds of times a minute!

    If your condition is moderate, a doctor many recommend the use of therapeutic pessaries.  This is a prosthetic device that is inserted into your vagina.  Its goal of a therapeutic pessaries is to hold your internal organs in place and is often used to treat prolapse of the uterus.

    If your condition is serious, you may require surgery to repair the condition.  There are many different types of surgeries available for all forms or Organ prolapse, so it is very important to discuss with your doctor all of your options.

    Our medical grade Yoni Flex is an automatic Kegel exercise machine.   It will strengthen the muscles of your pelvic .  Its like a work out for your lady parts!

    NOTE: We are in the final testing stages of our YoniFlex pelvic floor trainer – Please add your email address to our notification list and you will be notified the moment our YoniFlex becomes available for purchase.

     

     

    Take care,

    Tricia

     


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