Prolapse

Our bodies are amazing! They can grow life inside us. But unfortunately the process of growing life and childbirth can sometimes also change our bodies forever.

Pelvic Organ Prolapse is one of those unfortunate outcomes that can sometimes present after childbirth. Signs/ symptoms can include a heaviness or bulging in your vagina which will often be worse at the end of the day.

Women will often ask me “why did this happen?”. Not all women are equally susceptible to prolapse. There are many contributing factors and some may include:

• forceps used during vaginal delivery

• increased birth weight or head circumference of baby

• number of births

• hereditary components (it’s actually found to be more common in women who have a family member that has prolapse)

• a history of constipation or bearing down

• a history of heavy/ physical work

• obesity

But we are all different. Someone who ticks all the boxes above may not necessarily develop a prolapse. And someone who doesn’t tick any of those boxes may develop one. Hence there is no one size fits all recommendation when considering birth choices. All we can do is weigh up all your risk factors so you can make an informed choice in conjunction with your health professional. And it may be worthwhile having the conversation around prolapse with your mother or grandmother. It is not information that is commonly shared but perhaps it should be…..