Prolapse Diet Tips for Losing Weight, Constipation and Gas

Is there such a thing as a prolapse diet? Can your diet affect your prolapse?Prolapse diet

Strictly speaking there’s no ‘prolapse diet’ however what you eat can make your prolapse worse.

Read on to learn:

  1. How to lose abdominal fat for prolapse management
  2. Tips for diet, constipation and prolapse
  3. Dietary information for diarrhoea and prolapse
  4. Diet for abdominal bloating and prolapse

How Prolapse Diet Can Affect Your Pelvic Floor

Your diet can definitely have an impact your prolapse.

  • Diet contributes to abdominal fat – the more abdominal body fat you carry the greater the load on your pelvic floor.
  • Diet influences  bowel movements – constipation and diarrhoea can cause straining to empty and worsen prolapse problems.
  • Diet can cause abdominal bloating, gas and IBS – abdominal bloating, flatulence and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) can cause discomfort and worsen prolapse symptoms.

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Prolapse Exercises teaches you how to:

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  • Avoid unsafe exercises
  • Choose pelvic floor safe exercises
  • Reduce your risk of prolapse worsening
  • Improve prolapse support
  • Increase your strength and fitness
  • Strengthen your core
  • Lose weight

1. How to Lose Abdominal Fat for Prolapse Management

Your abdominal fat isn’t the fat you feel at your waist line, rather it surrounds your abdominal organs and sits directly above your pelvic floor.

Abdominal fat increases the load on your pelvic floor and your prolapse making your prolapse symptoms worse and increasing your risk of prolapse worsening over time.

This is why avoiding unnecessary weight gain or losing weight if you’re overweight is important if you’ve got prolapse problems and after prolapse surgery.

If you’re overweight you will better manage your prolapse by losing abdominal fat.

Diet to Lose Abdominal Fat With Prolapse Problems

Unfortunately you can’t spot reduce abdominal fat through diet. To lose abdominal fat naturally requires a whole body weight reduction approach.

Here are some simple weight management tips for losing abdominal fat:

  • Avoid fad weight loss diets or products (e.g. some diet shakes) that slow your bowel movements and cause constipation with prolapse

    Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
    Australian Guide to Healthy Eating download from eatforhealth.gov.au
  • Don’t skip meals – eating stimulates bowel movements
  • Avoid artificial sweeteners with the potential to cause flatulence and impact on your bowel movements (see below)
  • Drink adequate water and low energy fluid – your fluid intake effects your bowel movements (see below)
  • Avoid late night snacks before going to bed – your metabolism slows when you sleep
  • Write down what you eat and drink – you may be surprised at what you’re consuming
  • Monitor your incidental food intake – it’s very easy to snack when preparing food for others
  • The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating provides current evidence-based information about the types and amount of foods to reduce the risk of diet-related conditions including obesity and high cholesterol and chronic diseases including some cancers, diabetes and heart disease

Abdominal Weight Loss Exercise and Prolapse

Some women become very concerned that they won’t be unable to exercise to manage their weight with a prolapse.

Fortunately most women with prolapse problems can exercise effectively to manage their weight, avoid weight gain or lose weight.

Studies show that women can exercise to reduce abdominal fat with alternating high and low intensity exercise.

Tips for abdominal weight loss for prolapse:

  • Keep weight management simple i.e. weight management = energy in (diet) – energy used (exercise/physical activity)
  • Calculate your energy in (dietary) requirements using this simple daily energy requirements calculator

The American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend that to lose weight healthy, individuals perform 60 – 90 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most week days to accumulate more than 300 minutes of exercise weekly.

2. Diet and Constipation

Constipation and straining cause and worsen prolapse problems.

If your bowel is sluggish you may be familiar with the feeling of prolapse heaviness and dragging sensation that can accompany constipation.

Women with rectocoele (prolapse of the back wall of the vagina) are particularly vulnerable to constipation.

Solutions for Diet and Constipation With Prolapse Bristol Stool Chart

Aim to get the correct stool consistency as a priority.

It’s vital to aim for a soft well formed stool to help you empty your bowels without straining and worsening prolapse.

The ideal stool consistency for bowel emptying with prolapse problems is Type 3-4 on the Bristol Stool Chart (click right to enlarge)

Diet and Stool Consistency

Foods that soften the stool include:

  • Vegetables – green beans, spinach, red capsicum, garlic, green beans
  • Fresh fruit with skins – stone fruits* (e.g. apricots, peaches, plums) grapes, prunes*
  • High fibre cereals – bran*, multigrain breads* and whole grain cereals*
  • Snacks – popped corn, chocolate
  • Coffee* and tea
  • Spices e.g. chilli, curry

* Can cause abdominal bloating

Avoid the common mistake of consuming too much fibre! Bloating

Eating too much fibre, especially insoluble fibre (e.g. skins of fruits and vegetables, seeds) can make constipation and bloating much worse. This will often make prolapse symptoms worse towards the end of the day too.

Dietary fibre is important for correct stool consistency.

Most women should aim for 25-30 grams ( .8-1 oz) per day.

Fluids and Stool Consistency

Some women don’t drink adequate fluids to help them manage their stool consistency especially when they’re increasing their fibre intake or taking fibre supplements.

Most women should aim for around 2 litres (67 oz) of water on average however this can vary.

Some women with certain medical conditions need to limit their fluid intake and these women need to be mindful to avoid too much fibre causing a sluggish bowel.

Fluids that promote bowel movements include:

  • Water
  • Some fruit juices: pear, prune or grape
  • Coffee* and tea
  • Alcohol*

Have breakfast to help stimulate your bowel. Sometimes a warm drink in the morning and moving can help promote bowel movements.

3. Diet and Chronic Diarrhoea

Women with frequent bowel movements are also at risk of pelvic floor strain and worsening prolapse problems.

If you suffer from chronic diarrhoea or loose stools you may benefit from avoiding or limiting some of the foods and drinks mentioned above that soften the stool.

Foods that firm the stool include: Foods to firm the stool

  • White cereals – white rice, white pasta, white bread
  • Cheese
  • Bananas
  • Tapioca
  • White marshmallows
  • Pretzels

4. Diet and Abdominal Bloating or Gas With Prolapse

Abdominal bloating and/or flatulence can be a huge problem for women with prolapse problems.

Some ladies find that by the end of the day their abdomen is so bloated that it puts strain on their belly and their prolapse causing abdominal pain and pelvic floor dragging and bulging.

Pushing down and straining to pass gas with prolapse can worsen prolapse problems.

Bloating can be caused my many dietary factors; some foods are not well absorbed in the gut so that they ferment producing gas more than others causing abdominal bloating.

Diet Solutions for Bloating and ProlapseLegumes

Some women have IBS problems that cause their gut to poorly digest certain foods causing bloating, excessive gas or wind, pain in the abdomen as well as constipation and/or diarrhoea.

When combined with prolapse IBS can make managing prolapse and discomfort very challenging indeed.

Scientific studies have shown that IBS symptoms can be managed by reducing FODMAPS in the diet.

FODMAPS is an acronym for some of the sugars that aren’t well absorbed in the gut. These sugars produce gas and cause water to be drawn into the gut.

The low FODMAP diet can provide significant relief for women with IBS and prolapse.

Foods HIGH in FODMAPS 

Here are some examples of foods that can cause bloating, flatulence and discomfort:

  • High fructose – honey, apples, figs, dried fruit, high fructose corn syrup
  • Oligosaccharides – legumes (e.g. chick peas, lentils, baked beans), wheat, rye, barley, garlic, onion, leek
  • Disaccharides (lactose) – milk, unripe cheese (e.g. cottage, ricotta), yogurt
  • Polylols – sweeteners containing xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, pears, stone fruits such as avocado, plums, nectarines, cherries, prunes

This high FODMAPS list is by no means comprehensive. Perhaps if eating some of these foods cause you bloating you may like to read up on FODMAPS.

The only way to really know whether a food or drink is causing your bloating is to eliminate it from your diet and then reintroduce it as a trial.

Resources for FODMAPS including a user-friendly App are available from Monash University.

A low FODMAP diet is ideally undertaken under the supervision of an accredited dietician.

Key Points for Prolapse Diet

  • Your diet definitely has the potential to impact upon your prolapse
  • Prolapse is affected by abdominal body fat, bowel problems (constipation or diarrhoea) and bloating with flatulence
  • Your diet can help you better manage all these factors that potentially impact upon your prolapse
  • Seek the assistance of a qualified dietician as part of your prolapse management strategy if you suffer from diet-related prolapse problems

Please note: bowel problems including constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and IBS can have underlying medical causes. It’s important not to ‘self-diagnose’ bowel problems. See your medical practitioner for assessment of your symptoms and before making changes to your diet. Consult with an accredited dietician for dietary guidance and support.

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