Many of us will not have heard of the term prolapse until we experience the feeling of “things feeling different down there” and this was certainly the case for me. But developing a mild prolapse after childbirth is, in fact, very common. There is just a complete lack of awareness, dialogue and support for women, who have this pelvic health condition, from their health care professionals.

When the Doctor informed me that I had a prolapse at my 8-week postpartum check, I almost broke down in tears. I asked the Doctor, what does this mean? But they didn’t really provide me with much information, they just skirted around the issue and told me that it’s common and to come back if the symptoms became worse. It was then that I realised that pelvic health was a taboo subject and it was abhorrent that despite going through an extensive amount of trauma in childbirth, that no further pelvic floor care is given to most new mothers after their postpartum check.

Not convinced by the advice of my Doctor, I decided to take matter into my own hands. Why did I have to wait for something to go wrong before I could receive help? I didn’t want to be one of those women who just accepts that this is normal and then ends up suffering in silence for years, with bladder incontinence and/or pelvic organ prolapse. This was when I decided to do my own research and see a woman’s health physiotherapist privately. I wanted to find out exactly what I was dealing with and what I needed to do to make things better.

So what exactly is a prolapse?

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) is when one or more of the pelvic organs, such as the bladder, bowel, rectum or uterus shift or pull from their normal position and bulge into the vagina causing a feeling of vaginal heaviness and dragging. The bulge may be felt inside or outside the vagina and the prolapse may cause bladder, bowel or sexual dysfunction.

A prolapse can be mild, causing little or no bother or it may be severe causing many problems and affecting your quality of life. It is common for a prolapse to vary from day to day and within a single day; on some days your symptoms may be worse and on others you may not be aware of them at all. Prolapses are graded according to their severity, so it’s always worth seeing a woman’s health physiotherapist, so you can have a better understanding of your prolapse. From experience, it always feels a lot worse than what it is, especially if you are experiencing other pelvic floor disorders, such as muscular tension and holding. In short, the grades are outlined below:

• Grade 0: no prolapse.
• Grade 1: the uterus or vaginal walls have dropped slightly. At this stage many women may not be aware they have a prolapse. It may not cause any symptoms and is usually diagnosed as a result of a routine examination e.g. for smear test.
• Grade 2: the uterus or vaginal walls have dropped further into the vagina and the bulge can be seen at the vaginal opening.
• Grade 3: most of the uterus or vaginal wall has fallen through the vaginal opening.
• Grade 4: the uterus or vaginal wall has completely fallen through the vaginal opening .

As mentioned above, prolapses can also be caused or exacerbate by other pelvic floor disorders, including dysfunctional patterns of muscular tension and holding, long-standing alignment issues, myofascial restrictions, adhesions, scar tissue, and problems with intra-abdominal pressure management. Any of these concerns can cause (and/or perpetuate) pelvic organ shifts.

For more information, click on the below links: