Vaginal Care
Vaginal Prolapse
About Vaginal Prolapse
Muscles and tissues hold the pelvic region throughout your life. However, this structure can weaken due to various reasons. Whenever an organ sags from its normal position, it’s known as prolapse. Your vagina is one of the organs in your body’s pelvic region.
Vaginal prolapse is a condition when your vagina sags out of its position.
Symptoms
- Frequent urination
- Urine leakage whenever you laugh cough, sneeze, exercise, or have sexual intercourse
- Frequent bladder infections
- Lower back pain
- Bulging of the vagina
- Heaviness/pressure on the pelvis
Causes
- Menopause – your ovaries produce estrogen which keeps your pelvic muscles strong. During menopause, ovaries stop producing estrogen due to which your pelvic floor muscles can become weak and sag
- Vaginal childbirth – if you have undergone difficult vaginal childbirth, these muscles can stretch and weaken the muscles, causing a prolapse
- Ageing – one cannot stop the ageing process; your muscles lose their strength with age
- Lifting heavy things/weights, time and again
- Surgery – if you have undergone a hysterectomy or radiation treatment in the pelvic area, you could have a prolapse
- Chronic constipation
Surgical Treatments
These can be decided and performed only after thorough consultation with your gynaecologist
Non-surgical treatments
- Exercise – strengthening your pelvic muscles with Kegel exercises will help
- Estrogen administration – elevating your estrogen level may help
Prevention
While a vaginal prolapse cannot be prevented, the risk of developing it can be decreased by –
- No smoking
- Exercising regularly
- Maintain a healthy diet and drink lots of water – prevent constipation
- Lift heavy things, if any, in the right manner
- Keep a check on your weight too
A healthy lifestyle can help to treat and prevent pelvic organ collapse. Consult your gynaecologist before you make any decision.
