New here--TTC with a uterine prolapse....

hi roseymama,
i think you will get lots more info but...
the first thing to know is that your uterus does not have to be destined to stay where it is. lots of women with uterine prolapses have had amazing results with Christine's work, finding they move up. have a look at the posture on the FAQ's page and start it asap if you haven't already. If you can, get Christine's new book as you will learn a lot about prolapses, posture, and how our bodies work. She is also coming out with a new DVD with exercises and breathings to help lift. Whilst you await pregnancy getting your body as strong as you can will certainly help prepare you for the pregnancy, and know that there are great exercises you can do afterwards to help your prolapse and your whole body!

From what i've always been told, a prolapse won't effect getting pregnant. Your uterus hasn't changed--it's just moved position. It can still nurture a baby, and after the first trimester should move up out of the pelvis, bringing you great relief. i don't think it will make you less likely to conceive, but stress absolutely will. finding a place of calm with this is so hard, but so necessary.

You say your doctor is saying to get pregnant asap as you are in pain...are they suggesting surgery after pregnancy? there's a lot of good info here and in the book around the surgeries. I would definately get all the info if that is what they are pushing for.

sorry this is so brief, but i gotta run...but wanted to offer (i hope!) a bit of reassurance...

kiki

Yes you can get pregnant- though you may not want to right this minute. If you are having periods then you are ovulating. Not sure about the cervical mucus- some women here notice a discharge - thought be be exclusive to prolapse- the uterine attempt to lubricate maybe? Can you tell us a lot more about yourself? You have 2 children now- when did you notice you had a prolapse? I have a friend who can always reach her cervix- (that 2cm deal-though hers is a bit higher)- but doesn't have prolapse- she just has a very shallow vaginal canal- she has no symptoms of prolapse. Have you been having symptoms? The ovarian pain maybe? How did your first two births go? Do you suffer from constipation? Do you do much heavy lifting?
I am pregnant now with #4- my oldest is 5 soon to be 6. I have had 3 easy labors- but split from front to back and up the posterior vaginal wall with my first birth. After the second birth my husband noticed a bit of bulging tissue we just assumed was normal and I was not diagnosed until after the third birth when I approached my midwife with complaints of achy tiredness in my perineum. So I have a rectocele. When I first found it and knew what it was (there is a self- exam article here in the articles section of the main website) it was the size of a golf ball very low and close to the opening of the vagina. Over time my anterior wall softened to the point that I could feel my bladder as a big half pipe shape along the front wall and of course for the first time ever I was able to reach my cervix and I was told that my uterus was retroverted (or tilted toward the back). I was so upset that day (you can probably find my post here about it if you are curious). Anyway long story short- before I got pregnant this time my front wall was firm, my cervix unreachable and my rectocele had reduced to the size of a large marble-then a small marble- and finally to just a weak spot along the back wall that I was able to feel. So MAJOR improvement.
I know part of this can be attributed to postpartum healing in general but most of it is from the changes I made in the year and a half leading up to my pregnancy. I learned many of these changes right here on this forum. Mostly I changed the way I held my upper body (I have always had a nice lumbar curve) and the way I moved through space utilizing Wholewoman posture. I changed the way I ate- greatly increasing my fiber and eliminating all wheat, meat, dairy and sugar for about a year and then slowly added back in moderation with no problems. I changed the way I dressed- I wear more skirts now and only low slung blue jeans. I quit lifting my children for a time and did not lift any laundry baskets or other heavy loads. I was eventually able to add back the lifting too. I exercise frequently and have figured out which exercises bother me and which do not. And even some that are amazing for prolapse (search Nauli) I have been camping and hiking and swimming and just enjoying life.
Now since my pregnancy my rectocele is more prominent- varying from large marble to small marble depending on how much I do. If I spend time on my knees and elbows I don't notice it much at all. I am in my third trimester now and looking forward to not having this weight out in front. I am also interested to see how my recovery goes and how quickly I am able to feel symptom free.
So I say you may not want to right this minute because you may want to give yourself some time to see how much improvement you can gain before the pregnancy. I imagine the first 6 weeks or so will be fine but after that the next 14 or so are going to be rough- your uterus will probably feel very low and heavy.
You can improve.

I don't think there is any reason to assume that getting pg will be more difficult with a prolapse. though I agree with alemama, that you might want to take some time to get your body into a more stable place before introducing a pg. but even if you get pg right away, learning all you can about the how/what of prolapse will only be helpful in the long run.
I don't know anything about ovary pain in relation to prolapse, but never heard of a prolapse damaging the ovaries, or interfering with ovulation.
although I will say (unrelated to prolapse) I have always had wacky cycles and I don't always ovulate between periods. and sometimes I ovulate twice. so menstruation alone is not always indicative of ovulation. also, alemama makes a good point about the mucous. when my prolapse was at its worst I had alot of secretions that were very similar to the egg-white stuff. so it can be confusing.

I'm not surprised that you're worried and upset by this. not at all. perfectly normal and common reactions. number one advice is to buy the book 'saving the whole woman' and be sure to get the second edition. it will explain how a prolapse develops, how to stabilize it, manage symptoms, etc. also has a chapter on pg. knowlege is power. when you learn more about this, you'll see that there is much you can do to help stabilize (and to some degree reverse) it. that makes prolapse much less terrifying.
and hanging out here (for me anyway) lets you know that you aren't alone. this is much more common than any of us would suspect.

we go off topic all the time (at least I do)

I think the only reason a prolapse would affect one's sex life is do to the psychological impact of it all.
once you feel 'normal' again, you'll be back to normal. you aren't broken, and though your vagina looks different, it doesn't look terrible. everything works the same way, pretty much. I seriously doubt you are less attractive to your partner, or that this changes the way it feels to him.
the sore ovary can be another story. pain is not a turn-on.

and try typing 'sex' into the search box, you'll put up lots of posts, I'm sure.
many of us actually find that sex is good for prolapse, kinda pushes everything back into place.
now, go get some - sounds like you're ovulating!

Hi Roseymama,

I’m glad you’re feeling encouraged by the experiences of the women here. My only concerns from reading your story are that (1) your OB is misinformed about pelvic anatomy and (2) your pain, which sounds significant, should probably be investigated further.

The suspensory ligaments of the ovaries, utero-ovarian ligaments, round, broad and cardinal ligaments are all one continuous structure into which the ovaries are embedded. If you could look straight through the front of your pelvis in standing position to view this structure, you would see the uterus in the middle and the ovaries embedded into a mass of connective tissue (“ligaments”) connecting almost all the way around the inside perimeter of the bony pelvis. With uterine prolapse the uterus falls back, not down. Because the ovaries are normally positioned out to the sides, I cannot see how this backward movement of the uterus could possibly effect the position of the ovaries. Ovarian pain is not a symptom of uterine prolapse and the concept of the uterus having fallen down a rabbit hole and dangling from stretched and strained ovaries is wildly inaccurate.

Glad you found us and please keep us posted on your progress.

:) Christine

If you push your cervix up while standing, you are not pushing it up toward your spine, but forward toward your lower belly. It has fallen back, not down.

Bend over at your waist and you will see that your prolapse has disappeared because it has fallen into the hollow of your lower belly. The great accomplishment of the female of our species was to stand upright while keeping her pelvic organs in this horizontal mammalian position. If women were aware from girlhood what a delicate balance it is, these conditions could be minimized tremendously.

I know it’s confusing at first - you have to work with these concepts and your own body. It’s a very intricate design and not an easy north, south, east, and west concept to describe. In fish, the rectus muscles - the ones that stretch all the way down their belly - reach from their lower jaw to their tail. In humans, those same muscles reach from our lower jaw all the way down our torso, wrap around our pubic bones, and then continue to travel up in back to connect onto our tailbone. In cows and horses, that pelvic wall is completely vertical. In humans it is only slightly less so because our tailbone has flexed under - but still far more vertical than horizontal. The key is consciously holding our organs forward so the entire structure of organ support - all the “ligaments” - doesn’t stretch back allowing the heavy organs to prolapse.

Many women find their uterus stays in place after sex for a period of time - certainly until they stand up or increase intraabdominal pressure some other way. It does seem like prolapse would prohibit conception, but the experience of countless women says otherwise.

you know, this seems strange to me. When you are on your back does your cervix move up? what about on your hands and knees? Everything I have read so far about uterine prolapse says that when lying down the prolapse almost goes away.
I wonder if you have more going on? Or a much more severe prolapse than the doctor diagnosed? I have never heard of a prolapse that didn't get better when lying down and especially on hands and knees.
For ttc purposes I suggest hands and knees and then drop down to your elbows and knees to retain the fluid for a time. Those little sperm are persistent don't worry too much!
How is your ovary feeling? Mine used to hurt when I ovulated- depending on which one was dropping the egg.
I don't think anything is outside the scope of normal when it comes to prolapse. When the integrity of a system is in question the entire system can suffer. Sometimes before I get a massage I will have pain in my shoulder blade- and when the therapist starts to work on my neck I can feel the spot in my shoulder blade easing up- everything is connected.
Emotions are stored in the body. Stress is stored in the body. When I get very upset I feel like I am going to puke. It is all connected.

you are not the first woman to have a uterine prolapse and ttc. many have accomplished this before you. maybe it is possible for some sperm to get up past the prolapse before you're done. you wouldn't know if everything is, um, spilling out, or just some is spilling out.
I have faith in your body's ability to conceive, prolapse notwithstanding.

and try alemama's idea. I've read that too.

Hi,
I had one child and wanted desperately to have another but couldn't seem to conceive.
I talked to an older woman one day and told her my problem. She told me to lie on my stomach for about 15 minutes after sex and relax.
So tried it and some time later was pregnant. Had one more child after that.
Hope that bit of information helps you.
Regards,
Flora.

Thankyou for your history, it's very similar to mine. I never knew prolapse could even happen to a woman my age until it happened to me (damage from childbirth). They do say a problem shared is a problem halved...
I had my second meeting with my gyne this week (diagnosed a stage 2 uterine prolapse) where he told me in no uncertain terms that I would need a hysterectomy once I had finished my family. He said if I had another pregnancy I would need a c-section and my uterus would be so far down by then it would be better taken out. We discussed 'interim surgery' to hold things up until then. He fitted me with a pessary and I left with an review appointment for 6 months time. I took the news quite well until I got to my car where I sat and sobbed for 20 minutes on the phone to my husband. I had already bought Christine's book and I have been re-reading it for some hope this weekend and thought I'd also try the forum.
I am a fit and healthy 30 yr old mother of 2 (26 months and 10 months). Both my babies were large 9lbs8oz and then 9lbs. My first birthing experience was in a large maternity hospital and involved a long labour, pethidene, an epidural (which only worked on one side of my body despite being re-sited once, v unpleasant), syntocin to speed up contractions, episiostomy and forceps delivery. My second birth was mainly at home and later on in a mid-wife led unit and was the birth I'd hoped for but never thought I would have. I spent most of my labour in an upright position using movements I'd learned in a pregnancy for yoga class and had a water birth with just paracetamol and gas and air in the pushing stage. I was almost rushed to hospital though as my placenta didn't want to come out, with the injection and some pulling from the mid-wife. I was very happily discharged the same day and probably got 'back to normal' a bit quick as everything had gone so well. I didn't even notice the prolapse until my husband asked me about it about 4 months ago.
I am totally freaked out by the thought of the potential consequences of hysterectomy and interim surgery that I've read about- incontinence, problems with sex, other organs moving into the gap that's left and causing problems, having to take hormone drugs for the rest of your life. It just seems like swapping one problem with one or more from a lottery. The surgical point of view seems to be that once you're finshed having your family, if your uterus is causing you a problem then best to wip it out. Is there no other function/purpose of this organ that's of importance?
Is hysterectomy for prolapse that bad? How many subsequent repairs typically need to be done 5, 10 years down the line? Are there women it has worked for? If a pessary is comfortable is this a solution women can live with long term?
I wholly believe my gyne thinks he is doing his best for me I just don't know if I want to put my future in someone else's hands when there is no going back, if prolapse is something I can manage to live with.

let me preface by saying that everything has its place. now, I'm not even going to talk about real medical, life threatening conditions. but lets just talk about POP. I imagine that in some cases it is possible that even with all the natural, wholesome, interventions, life is simply not livable. hard for me to imagine because my experience and that of so many others here is so different, but lets just assume that might be the reality for someone who is unlucky enough to be the exception from the rule. in that case, hysterectomy might be the best option. not a good option, mind you, but the lesser of two evils.
but for the vast majority of women who have a POP and no other underlying conditions, this work can bring you to a place where your prolapse does not significantly impact your life. even if it is still there. even if you need to change your posture, your diet, your type of exercise, you will still be able to live life to its fullest. in light of that, I cannot see how the benefit of surgery would outweigh its risk.
the biggest risk of this program is that it doesn't work. in that case you can always consider surgery.
the biggest risk of surgery is that it doesn't work. in that case you can never go back and try to manage with your anatomy intact (and really, the uterus is what keeps the other pelvic organs where they should be) and even worse, you might be left with incontinence, pain with intercourse, etc.

I get really angry when I read posts like yours because I feel that your dr (probably due to ignorance and/or lack of experience) is frightening you unecessarily. there is no reason (due to the prolapse alone) that would indicate future c/sections. infact, a c/s doesnt' really protect you against further damage, as it cuts through the fascia and muscle that provides support for the uterus from above. dr's forget that the uterus is not only held up from below, but held in place from above too. an interem surgery until you've completed your family is probably the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day (and I have young children so I hear plenty of ridiculous things). each surgery, by the very nature of surgical procedures, means scar tissue and weakening of anatomical structures. doing surgery, knowing that it will fail with a following pg and birth, planning to follow up with another more invasive surgery, sounds like poor medical practice to me. actually, it sounds cruel.
I'm sure your dr doesnt mean to be cruel, I'm sure he wants to be helpful and this is probably all he knows about the management of prolapse. you can thank your lucky stars that you have the book, and access to this forum. prolapse is not life threatening. you have time. time to learn more about this, time to make some changes, time to wrap your mind around it and see it for what it is.

and one other thing that I really want to point out, although your second birth was the one you dreamed of, pulling on the placenta is quite traumatic. getting back to normal so quickly probably didn't help any either.
and the fact that you didn't notice anything until your dh pointed it out, kind of speaks to the fact that you just might not need to remove your uterus in order to have a normal life. think about that. my youngest is 21 months old and I am STILL seeing positive changes in my body. it takes a loooong time to recover from pg and childbirth. I wouldnt make any assumptions at 10 mo pp about what things will look like in another year.