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Pelvic organ prolapse

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A pelvic organ prolapse is when the tissues and muscle that support the pelvic organs become weak. This causes them to drop down and bulge into your vagina.

There are several kinds of prolapse, depending on which organ has dropped. If it is your uterus, it is called a uterine prolapse. If it is your bladder, it is called a cystocele. If it is your rectum, it is called a rectocele.

Causes of pelvic organ prolapse

Anything that weakens or stretches your pelvic floor muscles and ligaments can increase your risk of getting a prolapse. This includes:

Symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse

Depending on which organ has prolapsed, you could experience:

Sometimes there are no symptoms. The prolapse may only be discovered during a pelvic examination or cervical screening.

Diagnosing pelvic organ prolapse

Your doctor will ask you about any symptoms you have and how they affect your daily life. They will usually do a pelvic examination. They may also look at your cervix using an instrument called a speculum, which they put into your vagina.

Treating pelvic organ prolapse

The way a prolapse is treated depends on what type you have and how much it is affecting you.

Your doctor may recommend changes to your lifestyle. For example, maintaining a healthy weight, keeping active, quitting smoking and bladder retraining. You should avoid heavy lifting and getting constipated.

You can try exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Physiotherapists can help you with these.

If you have a vaginal prolapse and have been through menopause, your doctor might prescribe vaginal estrogen cream.

If you still have problems, they may suggest you try a vaginal pessary. This is a silicone or plastic removable device. It fits into your vagina and adds support to the walls of your vagina. If the pessary is not successful, your doctor may refer you to a women's health physiotherapist to try a different type of pessary.

If none of these approaches work and your symptoms are really harming your quality of life, you may be referred to a hospital specialist. They will consider whether surgery would help.

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Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed January 2025.

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