Healthcare for Women, LLC Blog 6 Common Symptoms of vagin*l Prolapse
You may have never heard of vagin*l prolapse, but it’s fairly common among women who have experienced multiple childbirths and women in menopause.
What is vagin*l prolapse?
Your pelvic muscles are important; they hold the organs in your pelvis in place. If these muscles weaken, they may no longer support the uterus, urethra, bladder, or rectum, and the organs can begin to sag down, or prolapse, into or outside of the vagin*. Types of prolapse include:
- Anterior vagin*l prolapse: Bladder begins to dip into the vagin*
- Posterior vagin*l prolapse: Rectum pushes into the vagin*
- Uterine prolapse: Uterus begins to move into the vagin*
- Apical prolapse: Cervix collapses and sags into the vagin*
- vagin*l vault prolapse: Top part of the vagin* droops into the lower part of the vagin* or outside of it
What are the symptoms of vagin*l prolapse?
Following are six common symptoms of vagin*l prolapse.
Frequent urination
Just as when you were pregnant, you may start feeling the need to urinate frequently — except now you’re in menopause. The muscles supporting your uterus and bladder have weakened as you’ve lost estrogen. Your bladder may be pushing into your vagin*, which can bring on urgent and frequent needs to urinate because you can’t empty your bladder completely.
Leaky bladder
Another related symptom of vagin*l prolapse is leaking urine when you laugh, cough, or sneeze. This embarrassing symptom may lead you to use adult diapers so you don’t have an accident in public.
Your front vagin*l wall supports your bladder. When it weakens, the bladder can prolapse, or fall into the vagin*. The prolapse is classified into four stages based on the severity of the condition, ranging from mild, when the tip of the bladder begins to move toward the top of the vagin*, to severe or total prolapse, when the bladder ends up outside of your vagin*. This stage usually occurs with other types of organ prolapse, e.g. the uterus or rectum.
Increase in urinary infections
If you’ve noticed that you’re getting repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs), you may have vagin*l prolapse. When your bladder doesn’t empty properly, bacteria can grow, causing a UTI.
Difficulty with elimination
If you find that you feel constipated and can’t empty your bowels normally, you may have a type of vagin*l prolapse. Your body has soft tissue that separates the rectum from the vagin*. If it weakens, the tissue pushes against the vagin*l wall and becomes distended. The protrusion can make it difficult to eliminate bodily waste.
Pain during intercourse
If you’re experiencing pain during intercourse, you want to know what’s causing it and get it treated as soon as possible. vagin*l prolapse may be the culprit, especially if you’ve gone through childbirth several times or are entering menopause.
The prolapse may cause tissue from your pelvic floor to move into your vagin*. The tissue doesn’t belong there and can result in painful intercourse.
Sensation of fullness in the pelvis
If your pelvic area feels full or heavy or you have a sensation of pulling or tugging, your uterus may have prolapsed. It may be dropping down into the vagin*. Doing pelvic exercises can help prevent prolapse in some women.
If you think you may have vagin*l prolapse, call or book an appointment online with Healthcare for Women. Dr. Taylor’s expert gynecological treatment can ease or eliminate your symptoms.
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