What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
My name is Dr. Herron, and I am an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist (PT) at Northwest Wellness. My specialty is treating patients experiencing conditions such as urinary incontinence, painful sexual intercourse, diastasis recti, period pain, constipation, vulvar pain, and pregnancy related low back pain and pelvic organ prolapse (POP). POP refers to the descent of the bladder, bowel or uterus into the vaginal canal. If the pelvic organs move into a prolapse, the bladder typically “falls” into the front of the vaginal canal, the uterus moves down from the “roof” of the vaginal canal and the bowel “falls” into the back wall of the vaginal canal. Depending on the severity of prolapse, individuals may feel like something is “sitting” in their vagina or “falling out” of their vagina.
A study by Barber and Maher in 2013 found that up to 50% of patients assigned female at birth may experience POP. This is a staggering number when compared to the number of people who seek out pelvic health physical therapy to manage POP. I believe this is indicative of how many people are unaware that pelvic health physical therapy can help manage these symptoms. This article is dedicated to increasing awareness about POP, so more people affected by POP know they can seek help instead of suffering alone with these symptoms.
Besides something “falling out” of the vaginal canal, what can POP feel like?
POP can cause some patients to feel like they need to “splint” their vaginal canal when they have a bowel movement. In other words, individuals affected by POP may feel like they need to use their hand to apply pressure to the outside or inside of the vaginal canal, in order to prevent a pelvic organ from falling through the vaginal opening during a bowel movement.
Additionally, POP causes some individuals to experience symptoms of stress incontinence.
Stress incontinence is when urine leaks during moments of increased intraabdominal pressure (ie, coughing, sneezing, laughing, jumping, or running). POP can also cause people to feel like they cannot completely empty their bowel when going poop. Finally, POP symptoms do not solely impact our bowel, bladder and vaginal health; there is also a correlation between POP and low back pain!
Vaginal childbirth, surgery, chronic constipation, menopause, and Caucasian race are risk factors for POP, but this does not mean that every person who fits these demographics will develop POP. The best way to confirm you have POP is speak to a physician, gynecologist, or pelvic health PT to receive a comprehensive pelvic floor muscle examination.
Diagnosis of POP does not mean you have to undergo surgery!
A thorough pelvic floor examination can uncover signs of a POP and may help you and your doctor develop a treatment plan to manage these symptoms. Most of the time, conservative treatments such as pelvic floor muscle training can be very beneficial in helping to manage POP symptoms.
I know that speaking to a doctor about your pelvic health can feel scary or embarrassing at times; especially if you have tried before and had a negative health care experience. I advocate for all my friends, family members and patients who are experiencing pelvic health symptoms to use the following website to find a pelvic health PT who is right for them: www.pelvicrehab.com.
If you are interested in scheduling a pelvic health physical therapy evaluation, please contact my clinic at 253.927.0660 to set up an appointment with me or our other pelvic health physical therapist, Dr. Lesley Weinberg, PT, DPT.
