Uterine Prolapse

What Is Uterine Prolapse?

The uterus is held in place inside your pelvis with various muscles, tissue, and ligaments. Various factors such as pregnancy, labor, delivery and ageing cause weakening of these muscles and ligaments resulting in dropping of uterus into the vaginal canal. This condition is known as uterine prolapse.

What are the Symptoms of Prolapsed Uterus?

Symptoms of a prolapsed uterus are:

• Feeling of something coming out of vagina
• A feeling of fullness or pressure in your pelvis
• Low backache
• Uterine tissue bulging out of vagina
• Pain during intercourse
• Difficulty during urination and passing stools

What are the Causes of uterine prolapse?

Uterine prolapse can happen as a result of:

• Pregnancy and childbirth.
• Weakening of the pelvic tissues and muscles with advancing age.
• Conditions leading to increased abdominal pressure such as chronic cough, constipation, heavy weight lifting and obesity.
• Major surgery in the pelvic area leading to loss of external support

What is the Treatment for prolapsed uterus?

Treatment depends on age, degree of prolapse and whether you want to preserve reproductive functions or not.
You can strengthen your pelvic muscles by performing Kegel exercises but the mainstay of treatment remains surgery. Surgery can either repair the prolapse or remove the uterus completely with repair of the pelvic floor. Decision about type of surgery is taken on basis of age and whether you wish to become pregnant in future or not. Surgery may be done by either abdominal approach or through the vagina.
Other treatments include a supportive device, called a ring vaginal pessary, to support the uterus. But these are temporary solutions and do not help over the long run.

How can you prevent uterine prolapse?

• Avoid heavy lifting or straining.
• Reduce your weight.
• Avoid constipation and straining at stools.
• Kegel exercises to strengthen pelvic muscles.