Prolapse Surgery

Surgery for pelvic organ prolapse is a big deal. It is a big deal
because you live in an age where you have many pathways to
health, and don’t have to live with pelvic organ
prolapse.Although surgery can be a viable, medically recommended
option for many people, it is very invasive without a guaranteed
outcome. Some people may find relief from their painful symptoms,
yet, like many procedures, it can often require more intensive
medical treatmenteven after the first surgery was performed.
Surgery should be considered a last option when dealing with
core, pelvic floor, or other related issues.


To be clear, our goal here at Restore Your Core is to strengthen
your core and pelvic floor so you can live without surgery being
a part of your story. Thousands of women use our program
with amazing success as an alternative route to surgery because
we work to restore function and integrity to the pelvic floor.
However, we do not judge anyone’s choice to have surgery and we
understand that sometimes it is the only choice! We support all
choices so we would like to use this article to educate you on
those choices. Please note, even if you decide on surgery, one
year of pelvic floor rehab is very much recommended to prepare
the body as it is a major surgery.


Table of Contents


How Do I Know if My prolapse is Severe? 


Surgery is for severe cases. So when are you considered severe?
We strongly urge you to discuss it with your provider and get
multiple opinions from doctors and therapists regarding your
case. 


It is important to recognize that pelvic organ prolapse can
involve one or more of your pelvic organs, including your uterus,
bladder, and rectum. After injury to or the weakening of your
pelvic floor muscles, your organs can drop into the wall of your
vagina. We break down the different types of pelvic organ
prolapse in other articles, but for your knowledge, we will
include a list here:


Bladder prolapse- Cystocele (The most common)

Rectum prolapse- Rectocele

Uterine Prolapse

Vaginal Vault Prolapse

Small Intestine Prolapse- Enterocele









How Do I Know What Stage My Pelvic Organ Prolapse Is?


Severity of Pelvic Organ Prolapse has to be diagnosed by your
healthcare provider, but the general rule of thumb for staging
is:



Stage 1: Very minimal prolapse – organs still have a
fair amount of support by the pelvic floor.


Stage 2: Pelvic floor organs have begun to drop, but
they are still contained inside the vagina.


Stage 3: Pelvic floor organs have dropped to, or beyond
the opening of the vagina.


Stage 4: Pelvic floor organs have dropped completely
through the vaginal opening.



What Happens if Prolapse is Left Untreated?


That is hard to know because some women have it for years and it
can stay the same! However, for others, it can actually get
worse. It can depend on a variety of factors, many might be out
of your control: like tissue integrity and genes. Other elements,
like movement and exercise choices are more in your
control. Strengthening your pelvic floor can keep your
organs from bulging further into the wall of the vagina without
surgery.