Prolapse after birth

[Novella]

Hi Sophia, I was the same it was such a big shock, I was in the dark the GP I saw said just do pelvic floors and give it time (not very helpful when you feel so uncomfortable).Seeing a phsio that specialises in womens health was the best thing I did, she gave me so much information, made sure I was doing Kegel's properly and reassured me.

She said that 3 months after birth is usually the worst, if you are breastfeeding it will improve more when you stop (due to altered progesterone levels). After seeing her for about six months she was happy for me to play netball. I now do cardio 2-3 times a week and pump once a week. Don't get constipated, maintain a healthy weight and keeping doing Pelvic floors and you will see an improvement. I don't have that horrible 'full feeling' down there anymore, things have improved immensely. Do I still have a prolapse? Yes. Does it cause me any discomfort or bother my everday life? No

[Sophia73]

Wow Sararose that's really encouraging for me! Particularly regarding your level of physical activity - my main fear is i wouldn't be able to do any of those things you mentioned. Good on you!

I was pretty upset yesterday after a GP examined my prolapse and said " wow that's a severe prolapse"! I had just been feeling like I was getting a bit of improvement from the kegels and she landed me with this...oddly enough my gynae said he didn't think it was that severe and said it would settle down. So two totally different opinions!

Unfortunately I am also getting constant urinary tract infections from this prolapse so am nearly always on anti-biotics. As a result of this and in the hope that I may get some improvement I have decided to stop breastfeeding - am currently in the process of weaning DD completely onto formula.

[Bea06]

Hi,

I also suffered a uterine prolapse after giving birth via vacuum extraction over a year ago.

Like you I struggle(d) to find clear information as to what my prognosis would be. I have also been told not to do any form of high impact exercise (which I miss desperately). I was also given widely differeing opinions as to how bad it was/is.

I completely empathise with how you're feeling.

My problem is made worse by the fact that my pelvis is also sitting on a completely different angle as my ligaments will no longer hold it in place.

I found that I only really began to get some relief from the constant sensation that my entire insides were going to fall out of my vagina about 11 months after she was born.

I have since been prescribed 'Ovestin Cream' which has been helpful. I think that my cervix feels as though it has retracted (for want of a better word) back up about an extra centimetre or so (which is better than nothing)! However, my vagina is still on a completely different angle.

Am afraid, that it's had a major impact on my sex life, and I'm currently looking for a counseller who may be able to talk through some of this stuff with me.

However, the good news is that I was recently talking to an older woman that I know who suffered from a uterine prolapse as well as severe incontinence for years after giving birth. She had surgery about 7 years ago and said that it absolutely changed her life. She said that her prolapse was so bad that she'd forgotten what it was like to have an empty vagina and a full bladder! She said her sex life had completely recovered and that she'd recommend it to anyone.

I've got the details of her doctor and am going to make an appointment to see him in the next few weeks. She said that it's possible to have surgery before having another baby, but the only thing is that they ask you not to get pregnanat for a year after the surgery. That was a relief for me, because quite frankly I don't know how I'm supposed to get pregnant when my sex life is like it is!

I hope things are going alright for you and I don't know what else to suggest except to keep persisting and that maybe take some heart from the fact that you're not alone. I think that there are a few of us out there with this problem, but it's difficult to talk about as it's not the sort of thing that comes up in general polite conversation, nor is it the sort of thing you can really compare with some one!

Mine was really bad, its certainly not resolved but it has improved. Good luck.

[danniellabella]

i was looking down there with a mirror yesterday and things dont look right at all. i'm wndering if i have a prolaps. is excess bleeding a symptom? dh had a look down there too and really didnt like what he saw. i'm going to try and make an appt with my gp who specilises in womens issues

[Bea06]

what does it look like?

mine didn't look at all right after I gave birth and I also bled a lot, which I've since heard somebody else say might be related to having a prolapse.

how did your check up go?

[Sophia73]

Just wondered if those of you who have had a prolapse also had episiotomies and either vacuum or forceps deliveries? I know there is a link between the two.

On a positive note my prolapse is certainly improving (DD is now nearly 5 months). Saw my physio yesterday and she did say "nothing ever feels or looks the same (ie vagina) after birth" which is something to keep in mind. I know it sounds obvious but sometimes I think we expect it all to be exactely the same down there.

Danielle - I hope all went well with your GP appointment.

[Novella]

I had a small tear, natural birth. Unfortunately I have poor conective tissue, its genetic both my grandmothers have had prolapses when they were younger.

There is some interesting studies that suggest after 5 years the number of women with prolapse is the same between women who had vaginal births and women who had cs, because of the weight of the baby on the ligaments during pregnancy and pregnancy hormones. I wonder if forceps, vaccum extraction or episitomy have different outcomes after 5 years?