Pelvic Organ Prolapse

What are Pelvic Floor Muscles?

A group of muscles called pelvic floor muscles support your uterus, bladder, and rectum, essentially forming a sling that holds the organs in place. Muscles included in this group also control urination and bowel movements.

Pelvic floor muscles can be stretched and weakened by vaginal childbirth, as well as by common activities like heavy lifting and frequent coughing. Pelvic surgery and diseases that affect the area may also damage pelvic floor muscles.

When your pelvic muscles can’t support one or more organs, or they’re too damaged to function properly, you may experience:

• Frequent urination, difficulty urinating, painful urination
• Constipation or straining during bowel movements
• Pelvic pain
• Lower back pain
• Pain during intercourse
• Pelvic organ prolapse

What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse?

Weak pelvic floor muscles allow the organs they usually support to drop down from their normal location. When the uterus or bladder prolapses, they push against the vagina and cause a bulge in the vaginal wall. In severe cases, the organs protrude out of the vagina.

In addition to the symptoms associated with weak pelvic muscles and feeling a bulge in your vagina, you may experience a sense of heaviness or pulling in the pelvis.

Pelvic organ prolapse tends to develop as women get older, especially after menopause. You may have a higher risk if you vaginally delivered one or more babies.

How is Pelvic Organ Prolapse Treated?

Your doctor at Women’s Healthcare Physicians of Naples may recommend one or more of the following treatments:

• Life Changes: If you’re overweight, you can reduce pressure on the pelvic area by losing weight. Eating a high-fiber diet and getting plenty of fluids helps prevent constipation.
• Exercises: Kegel exercises may help mild cases of prolapse or urinary incontinence by strengthening pelvic floor muscles.
• Minimally Invasive Surgery: The team has extensive experience using slings and grafts to surgically reconstruct pelvic muscles. The doctors at Women’s Healthcare Physicians of Naples repair pelvic floor muscles using the state-of-the-art da Vinci® Surgery System. This minimally invasive surgery is done using a few small incisions, which produces less scarring, has a shorter recovery period, and fewer complications compared to standard surgery.
• Pelvic Floor Therapy: Pelvic floor therapy is a painless and noninvasive way to improve various aspects of women’s health, including sexual function and bladder control.