Pelvic Organ Prolapse - Is My Vagina Falling Out?!
Updated: May 5, 2022
Being diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) can feel extremely overwhelming. You may feel like you can’t even get out of bed or complete daily tasks without feeling vaginal pressure, and there is little guidance on what can be done to help a prolapse. Many people are not even aware of what a prolapse is. And looking up pelvic organ prolapse on Google can be far from encouraging. But the good news is, being diagnosed with a prolapse does not mean you are guaranteed to have long term prolapse symptoms or require surgery. In many cases, relief from POP is completely achievable without surgery and may even be able to be improved.
What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
Pelvic organ prolapse happens when the muscles, fascia, and connective tissues supporting the pelvic organs (the uterus, bladder, or rectum) become weakened or lax. This allows one or more of the pelvic organs to descend or press into or out of the vagina. With POP, the pelvic organs themselves are not actually damaged, it is simply the supporting structures like fascia and connective tissue that are stretched and/or injured.
Symptoms of prolapse The symptoms often experienced with POP include:
vaginal pressure or bulging
feeling of the vagina falling out
low back pain
pelvic heaviness/dragging that is worse at the end of the day
Depending on the type of prolapse, some people may also note:
urinary leakage
difficulty emptying with peeing or pooping