Health Center - Reproductive and Pelvic Health
No matter your age, the health of your reproductive and urinary organs—your pelvic organs—is important. If something goes wrong "down there," it affects your overall health and quality of life. Get answers to all of your most pressing questions and put an end to embarrassing symptoms.
Prelvic Organ Prolapse: Symptoms and Treatment
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) occurs when the organs in your pelvis—uterus, vagina, bladder, urethra, rectum or bowel—descend into or even out of the vaginal canal.
Symptoms
- Feeling of pelvic fullness or pressure
- Feeling as if a tampon were falling out
- Incontinence
- Discomfort with intercourse
- Pain or bleeding from the vagina (not menstrually related)
- Lower back pain
- Constipation
Treatment Considerations
Treatment for POP depends on the type of prolapse you have.
Nonsurgical Options
- Kegel exercises. These exercises strengthen your pelvic floor, which can help you retain your organs in the pelvic region. Pull in or squeeze your pelvic muscles as if you were trying to stop the flow of urine or keep from passing gas. Count to 10 as you hold the contraction, relax, then repeat. Aim for at least three sets of 10 contractions a day.
- Pessaries. Silicon rings can be painlessly placed in the vagina to support the pelvic organs. While a pessary isn't a cure, it can help reduce your symptoms and delay or even prevent surgery.
Surgical Options
