Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pelvic Organ Prolapse specialist:
As a leading urogynecology office, Center for Advanced Gyn & Urogynecology helps women with pelvic organ prolapse and provides them solutions to lead a healthy life.
What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
The pelvic organs rest on a hammock of pelvic muscles called the pelvic floor.
Pelvic organ prolapse is one of the several conditions related to weakness or improper functioning of the pelvic floor. Patients feel a bulge from the vagina in these cases. There are different names for this depending on which organ is bulging out of the vaginal opening. A Cystocele occurs when the bladder drops down into the vagina. When the uterus drops down this is called Uterine prolapse. Enterocele refers to the small bowel pushing into the vagina and causing a bulge. Vault prolapse occurs when the top part of the vagina is weakened after hysterectomy. Rectocele occurs when the lower part of the vagina is weak allowing the rectum to push into the vagina.
What causes Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
The cause of pelvic organ prolapse could be pregnancy or childbirth. Obesity and advanced age also lead to prolapse symptoms.
What are the symptoms of Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
The symptoms of Pelvic Organ Prolapse includes:
- A sense of Bulging, pressure, or heaviness in the vagina or pelvic area
- Difficulty with intercourse
- Problems with urination
- Problems with having bowel movements
How is Pelvic Organ Prolapse diagnosed?
Pelvic Organ prolapse is diagnosed during a pelvic exam. Dr. Sikka is a urogynecologist who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. The type of prolapse is classified based on the location of bladder, rectum, and uterus and the degree of prolapse.
Pelvic organ prolapse treatment?
Non- surgical treatment:
We have very good non-surgical treatment options which actually benefit a large number of people. Two of these treatment options are pelvic floor physical therapies and the use of a pessary.
Pelvic floor physical therapy:
This is an area of physical therapy which has really become very popular and very effective in the past few years. Pelvic floor is a muscular hammock which supports these organs. Pelvic floor physical therapy helps strengthen the pelvic floor. This treatment option does not correct the prolapse but can help with the subjective sensation of pelvic heaviness in women with prolapse.
Use of a pessary:
This is the second very effective option and is non-surgical in nature. Pessaries are devices which are made of silicone and can be inserted into the vagina. Pessaries are available in different shapes and sizes and are very easy to insert and remove.
40% of women who had a childbirth vaginally will experience some degree of pelvic organ prolapse. They may not be symptomatic with it, but if they are symptomatic with it the conservative method of using a pessary can be very effective.
Surgical options:
The surgery for pelvic organ prolapse can be done vaginally and abdominally. When we do the surgery vaginally, we use strong ligaments in the patient’s pelvis to help support the vagina. We can also use a cadaveric fascial graft to support the weakened tissue.
This surgery can also be done robotically which really cuts down on recovery time and helps the patients tremendously with their symptoms. In this surgery, we may use a mesh which is FDA approved to support pelvic organ prolapse. This surgery is especially helpful for younger and more active patients with significant prolapse.
How long is the recovery process after the surgery?
Recovery after the surgery depends on the procedure. Most of the time after vaginal/ laparoscopic/ robotic surgeries patients start feeling tremendously well after a couple of weeks. Main instructions are no heavy lifting and vaginal rest for a few weeks.