Have you received a pelvic prolapse diagnosis or had prolapse surgery?
Are you worried about:
Prolapse worsening
Repeat prolapse after prolapse surgery
Your partner noticing your prolapse?
Women are often left to cope alone with their pelvic prolapse diagnosis and fears about repeat prolapse after prolapse surgery.
This Physiotherapy video helps you reduce your fears of prolapse worsening and repeat prolapse after prolapse surgery.
Prolapse Exercises e-Book
International best selling prolapse exercise guide for women with prolapse and after prolapse surgery.
Common Fears with Pelvic Prolapse Diagnosis and After Prolapse Surgery
My prolapse is getting worse
I don’t want prolapse surgery
I won’t be able to exercise and I’ll gain weight
I can’t talk to anyone about my prolapse
My partner is going to notice
My partner will no longer find me attractive
I’m ageing before my time
I’m worried I’ll need repeat prolapse surgery
These are just a few commonly expressed pelvic prolapse diagnosis and prolapse surgery concerns.
Some women carry on regardless of their pelvic prolapse diagnosis and after surgery, barely giving this a second thought. Others find coping with a prolapse diagnosis difficult indeed.
Unfortunately there’s a general lack of emotional support and coping strategies for women with prolapse problems.
This lack of emotional support for women with prolapse can sometimes contribute to prolapse anxiety, decreased self esteem, vulnerability and even self loathing and feelings of depression.
How to Cope with Your Pelvic Prolapse Diagnosis and Fear of Prolapse Worsening
This information helps you with practical coping strategies for getting on top of your prolapse fears and concerns.
1. You’re Not Alone
Take some small comfort in knowing that many other women have pelvic prolapse diagnosis too.
Almost 1 in 2 women who have had a vaginal delivery will have some degree of prolapse within their lifetime ¹. This means that pelvic prolapse is a very commonly experienced problem!
2. Prolapse is NOTLife-Threatening
Pelvic prolapse is not a life-threatening condition. This fact in no way minimises the potential impact of prolapse diagnosis or prolapse surgery however sometimes it can help to keep the overall severity of the pelvic prolapse condition in perspective.
3. Understand Your Prolapse
Prolapse can seem all the more mysterious and unsettling because it’s an injury that’s not visible to the naked eye.
What is a prolapse?
Prolapse involves a soft tissue injury.
You’ve almost certainly heard of abdominal hernia. A pelvic organ prolapse involves a vaginal hernia.
A pelvic prolapse is a hernia (bulge) into the vagina.
What causes prolapse bulge?
Prolapse bulge occurs when one or more of the pelvic organs (bladder, bowel or uterus) move out of position – often through weak vaginal walls.
The injury and weakness causing prolapse involves the tissues supporting the pelvic organs; strong connective tissues that secure the pelvic organs in their normal position and the pelvic floor muscles supporting the pelvic organs.
4. Block Unhelpful Prolapse Thoughts
Do you find yourself repeatedly agonizing over your prolapse; what if it get’s worse, what if I can’t exercise, what if I need prolapse surgery ….
Repeatedly thinking about an issue embeds that pattern of thinking in your brain – a bit like hard wiring that thought.
Step 1: The first step is to notice and acknowledge that you’re thinking about your prolapse.
Step 2: Make a conscious decision not to follow through with analysing or ruminating on that thought (i.e. revisiting it over and over).
One strategy to block unhelpful thoughts is to visualise a stop signal or a sign or whatever works best for you.
Your signal to stop thinking about your prolapse may be a stop sign or red traffic lights. For example, imagine a computer screen shut down icon (X) to block unhelpful prolapse fears.
Choose the stop signal that works best for you and use this when you find yourself dwelling on your prolapse.
5. Challenge your Prolapse Worsening Fears
When you know you can block unhelpful thoughts about your prolapse, you can to start to challenge unhelpful thinking with real facts.
Here are 2 examples of how you might challenge unhelpful prolapse thoughts and fears
Prolapse Fear #1: “Now I can’t exercise and I’m going to put on weight”
Weight management is the balance of energy in-energy out. You are in complete control of your energy intake – don’t let pelvic prolapse or prolapse surgery be an excuse for a poor prolapse diet.
Prolapse Fear #2: “My partner’s going to notice my prolapse and our relationship will suffer”
Most partners can’t detect a mild to moderate prolapse during intimacy
Lying down prolapse usually becomes much less noticeable
Prolapse makes no difference to the physical sensations during intimacy for the male partner
Your partner develops an abdominal hernia – are you turned off?
Be completely honest with yourself and ask yourself, does your prolapse make you any less of a loving partner or woman?
When you’ve managed to challenge some of your unhelpful thoughts about your prolapse, you might consider the worst case scenario and ask yourself whether or not you can cope with that outcome.
Common Prolapse Diagnosis Fears
Scenario 1: Your prolapse worsens or returns after prolapse surgery
a. Will you cope – Yes or No?
Most likely you will cope, if not what’s the worst case scenario?
b. How will you cope?
Sample coping strategies
Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles
Stay active with pelvic floor friendly exercises
Modify factors contributing to prolapse worsening (e.g. heavy lifting, constipation and straining),
Lose excess abdominal fat
Consult with your doctor, pelvic floor physiotherapist, trial a support pessary, gynaecologist assessment/review, discuss your fears with trusted support person(s).
Scenario 2: Your prolapse repair fails requiring further prolapse surgery
a. Will you cope – Yes or No?
It’s most likely that you will cope and if not, what’s the worst case scenario?
b. How will you cope?
Sample coping strategies
Return to your gynecologist for review
Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles
Stay active with pelvic floor friendly exercises
Modify your risk factors e.g. lose weight if you need to
Pelvic floor physiotherapy
Trial a support pessary
Discuss your fears with trusted support person(s).
Worst case scenario might be that you require prolapse surgery.
6. Take Positive Action
Positive ways to get started after receiving a pelvic prolpase diagnosis include:
Getting physically active because regular pelvic floor safe exercise will help you feel good about yourself and your body.
Staying socially active because social activity helps you feel supported, positive and relieves stress.
Educating yourself about prolapse management because education is empowering. The more you know about your prolapse and your management alternatives the more empowered you’ll feel.
Accessing professional support by making an appointment with a pelvic floor physiotherapist, see a dietician, enlist the support of a pelvic floor safe exercise provider, see a counsellor if you need coping strategies and support.
Key Points for Coping with Pelvic Prolapse Diagnosis and Prolapse Anxiety
Receiving a pelvic prolapse diagnosis and living with a prolapse is not always straight forward for all women.
Unfortunately the emotional issues related to pelvic prolapse diagnosis and after prolapse surgery are still often unrecognised and poorly managed.
Holistic prolapse treatment and management addresses the physical and emotional aspects of living with a prolapse.
Emotional support and coping strategies can improve your long-term quality of life when living with prolapse diagnosis and after prolapse surgery.
with Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist Michelle Kenway
Learn how to exercise safely, strengthen your prolapse and reduce your risk of repeat prolapse.
Prolapse Exercises is a complete exercise guide for women after prolapse surgery seeking to exercise safely and protect their pelvic floor.
Slieker-ten Hove M C P1 , Vierhout M2 , Bloembergen H3 , Schoenmaker G4 1. Erasmus Medical Center, Department of Gynecology, 2. University Medical Center Nijmegen, 3. Erasmus Medical Center, Medical Faculty, 4. General Practitioners group Brielle, NL ICS (2004) Paris DISTRIBUTION OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE (POP) IN THE GENERAL POPULATION; PREVALENCE, SEVERITY, ETIOLOGY AND RELATION WITH THE FUNCTION OF THE PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES. https://www.ics.org/abstracts/publish/42/000004.pdf
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Learn how to exercise safely, strengthen your prolapse and reduce your risk of repeat prolapse.
Prolapse Exercises is a complete exercise guide for women after prolapse surgery seeking to exercise safely and protect their pelvic floor.
