Are my organs coming out of my vagina?

So, you feel pressure in your pelvic region? You feel something bulging out of your vagina? 

You’re not alone. Did you know that 50% of people who have birthed children have a pelvic organ prolapse? And that incidence increases with age.

A pelvic organ prolapse is a functional disorder that can be described as:

  • a bulge at or near the vaginal opening

  • pelvic pressure

  • changes in bowel movements

  • difficulty emptying the bladder

What causes a prolapse?

The bladder, uterus and rectum sit VERY close together. Their support base is the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor muscles help support organs against gravity and any increases in intra-abdominal pressure (like coughing), and the vaginal and rectal walls.

Here’s an example:

Imagine carrying a baby for 9 months. As the baby grows, there is increasing pressure on the pelvic floor. Ligaments can stretch over time and if the pelvic floor is not in good health, it may not support your organs very well. During delivery you push hard and you strain, applying more pressure to the pelvic floor and potentially damaging it. Out comes the baby (congratulations!) but the pelvic floor weakens (dang!) and it can no longer act as a good support base.

Things inside your body slowly start to move down due to the lack of support.

Other causes of prolapse:

  • Chronic coughing

  • Chronic constipation and straining on the toilet

  • Constant heavy lifting

DROPPING KNOWLEDGE:

The bulge that you feel at or near the vagina is not the actual bladder and/or rectum. The bulge is the vaginal wall, which is being pushed into the vagina by the bladder or rectum.

So now what?

Go get an internal pelvic examination for a thorough assessment!

A pelvic health physiotherapist can provide an internal pelvic examination to determine the state of your pelvic floor muscles, if you have a prolapse and the grade of the prolapse (degree of protrusion/bulge). The pelvic health physiotherapist can touch the protrusion and determine what kind of prolapse you have (bladder, uterus and/or rectum).

Pelvic health physiotherapy is conservative management - NOT surgery. I recommend trying non-surgical options prior to going under the knife. Research shows that pelvic floor muscle training works!

The GREAT NEWS: With approximately two months of hardcore Pelvic Floor Muscle Training, your symptoms can improve. You will find that you experience:

  • less pressure in your pelvic region

  • less leakage of urine

  • less bowel symptoms like constipation

  • an improvement in the degree of protrusion

The TOUGH NEWS: If you don’t use it, you lose it. The pelvic floor exercises need to be maintained in strength in order to sustain the benefits of training. 

So stop scrolling Dr. Google: there are no organs falling out of your vagina! It’s best to contact me for a full internal examination and we can figure out a personalized care action plan for you.

Michiko Caringal