Prolapse Got You Down?

Feb 21

Heaviness in the vagina? Pressure? Feel like things aren’t where they used to be? Don’t worry girl, we got you. You may be experiencing what we call prolapse. Prolapse is vaginal wall laxity meaning the tissues of your vagina don’t have the same tension they once did. This allows for the pelvic organs to press into the vaginal canal causing these sensations. Why are you experiencing this? Well, prolapse is caused by improper pressure on the pelvic organs and pelvic floor muscles. Chronic constipation, poor posture, heavy lifting, breath holding, pregnancy are just a few things that can contribute to pelvic organ prolapse. Crazy right! Other symptoms you may be having include low back pain, urinary leakage, difficulty pooping, or painful sex. There are several different types of prolapse and symptoms can vary with them. Check out our insta post to learn more. We ALWAYS recommend getting evaluated by a pelvic floor PT. Remember, EVERYONE is different treatment is going to vary from one person to the next.⁠ First, you need to ask yourself:

Are you constipated?

Are you straining on the toilet to have a BM or even to urinate!? Make sure to get this under control! ⁠Straining can put unwanted stress on the pelvic region.

Are you holding your breath?

Be mindful of your breath with strainful activities like heavy lifting! Don't hold your breath- try to gently blow out during the strenuous part of the activity to be sure you are managing your intraabdominal pressure adequately! ⁠

Here are a few tips we recommend to everyone which can really help decrease your symptoms! ⁠

Support

Does it feel better when you hold your hand against your vagina and apply light pressure? Perineal support may be for you. Here are a few examples of how you can get this support. Adding support externally and/or internally can help so much! These are some of the things we suggest a lot in our offices:

Try out the V2 Supporter by @itsyoubabe.

Poise Impressa Bladder Supports for certain symptoms.

Talk to your PT to see if a pessary may help.

Pelvic stability

Your pelvis craves stability, especially during pregnancy and the postpartum phase. We can help relieve your symptoms by strengthening the muscles around your pelvis. Here are a few examples.

Bridges with ball squeeze
Clams with resistance band
Core stability exercises

Gravity

What is all around us and is free… gravity! Let’s let gravity help with that pressure in your vagina. We can encourage your vaginal tissue to go back to its “starting point” with the help of gravity. Lay on the floor with legs up against the wall or we LOVE a good supported bridge if not pregnant! Stay here for 10-15 minutes at the end of the day or after a workout to relieve your symptoms.

Still experiencing symptoms after these tips? Please do yourself a favor and see a pelvic floor therapist in your area. We treat prolapse every day and can help tackle these symptoms together!

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Amy Meehan