Pelvic organ prolapse (POP)...

 

is the downward decent of the female pelvic organs (bowel, bladder, uterus) into or through the vagina.

1 IN 2 WOMEN HAVE SOME DEGREE OF POP but aren’t necessarily aware! 

​

​

​

 

1 IN 20 HAVE SYMPTOMATIC POP

 

​

​

 

 

Most women that have some extent of POP, will find that their pelvic floor anatomy copes well and they will not be symptomatic. If a prolapse becomes bothersome, there are typical symptoms that women may complain of, such as:

 

• Sensation of, feeling or seeing a bulge/protrusion

• Pressure/heaviness in vaginal region

• Bladder symptoms (Incontinence, urgency, frequency, weak or prolonged urinary stream, hesitancy, feeling of incomplete emptying, position change to start or complete voiding, manual reduction of prolapse to start or complete emptying

• Bowel Symptoms (Incontinence, feeling of incomplete emptying, straining, urgency, digital evacuation, feeling of blockage or obstruction during defecation)

• Painful intercourse

​

Pelvic Health Physiotherapists can help with your symptoms with a comprehensive evaluation of the full spectrum of pelvic floor symptoms, an assessment of how these symptoms affect quality of life and a pelvic examination to quantify the site and stage of prolapse.

Pelvic floor muscle training and lifestyle modifications are the first line of treatment for POP. A pessary is an intravaginal device which is designed to provide support to the vaginal walls in women with POP and can be a very useful aid, if indicated for specific POP diagnoses and can be fitted by an advanced clinical practitioner. If bothersome symptoms do not respond sufficiently to conservative treatment, your management plan may be altered to consider surgical review.

​

Some useful Resources:

• https://www.iuga.org/

• https://augs.org/

• https://pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/