I NEED TO KNOW!

Body: 

Where is my uterus?? please someone explain to me in a plain not confusing way what position do you think it is in. I cannot reach my cervix whatsoever....just beyond my reach i feel like it is there....i think it would be pointing towards the anterior wall..maybe? My symptoms have gotten a lot better lately...i just feel that "heavy" feeling every so often and the anterior wall feels like it has come down slightly. I guess one reason why i am concerned is because when i have a BM i feel a pain right in the center of my lower abdomen...not always but a couple times a week....it feels like something is in its way and its pressing on something it shouldnt be....like my uterus maybe. I need help understanding whats going on...i have read some posts about a retroflexed or retroverted uterus..is this what i have ?and if it is what does that mean for me? Why can i not feel my cervix?! I have been walking every day in posture and doing the ballet workout and man what a difference! My cervix of course is lost somewhere still....i use to think it was a good thing i couldnt feel it but i guess thats not "normal" i should be able to feel it right? I know it hasnt always been this way because at one of my prenatal appointments when i was around 3 months pregnant my dr. showed me my cervix with a mirror and light..so it use to be within reach.
thank you for your help! i guess im alittle slow when it comes to this kind of stuff:)
~Amanda

I'm far from expert advice here, and forgive me if this is of the particularly "duh" kind . . . . have you tried checking for your cervix while squatting on your heels? Or with a foot on the toilet or bath? This is what is suggested by the fertility awareness book that I have. It is supposed to give you better access to your presumably high cervix. If you've tried this, please disregard, otherwise, give it a go. If you are really, really worried, go to the Doc or midwife or NP or whatever -- they can tell you if you are retroverted or not. Oh, and I don't think you can presume anything based on the doctor showing you your cervix -- a speculum and light reveal the cervix no matter what it's doing or how high.

And just to note, I think if you are having such good success with your other POP symptoms through the posture, etc, it's most likely that your uterus is in a very ok place. I'm sure guessing that my own improvements have made my slightly retroverted uterus quite a bit more normal!

:-)

Try to find it right after voiding. If I understand correctly, after peeing the bladder deflates, and the cervix is easier to be found.
Liv

ive tried the squatting not sure if i have tried right after voiding, its worth a shot...i should be getting my yearly physical soon so i will ask my OB to check the position and maybe he can tell me why i am feeling pain sometimes...but i wont make it until next month so i need someone to tell me what they think now!:) thank you

~Amanda

Sorry I'm not more helpful! And I know all about that need to know feeling . . . hope things get figured out for you soon!

Best

Hi Amanda, just spotted your post, I posted similarly a few weeks ago. I can't remember whether it was in one of my replies or in another thread that Louise posted about cervix position - you could track mine and then hers. Louise's posts are always really informative and helpful. I couldn't find my cervix at all, then eventually found it just about, very high up and kind of stuck to the back right wall - I did this kneeling on one leg, other leg out to the side. I had freaked out a bit, mainly because I was also getting bad POP symptoms and I assumed that the two were linked, which they may have been, but as I haven't felt for my cervix for years, I couldn't really be sure. I feel a lot more mellow now and haven't even looked for it for a while. I suggest that if the posture and exercises are helpful for you and your symptoms are less, don't worry about where your uterus is. I think that it's very common to have retroverted uterus and POP, the only thing you can do about it anyway is posture and exercises, which you're already doing, and it'll possibly always move around anyway. Someone I know had a gynae appt the other day and the doc could hardly find her cervix to do the smear, didn't seem at all perturbed by it - she was also diagnosed with mild cystocele. Judith xx

Hi Judith and Amanda

I did post about uterus and cervix position under a topic called something like "My Well Women's Clinic Visit" or something like that. The appointment was on 12 June, so it wasn't long ago. The main reason my cervix couldn't be found was that I am very close to menopause and the cervix almost disappears at menopause. It is just a little hole that is flat up against the wall of the vagina, instead of the big firm donut that it was only a year ago. I was delighted that the doctor couldn't find it at first! At least it wasn't staring her in the face before she even got the speculum open! However, I can relate to the uncertainty of it. I wouldn't worry. It is not going to go far in the next few weeks. It will still be there when you go for the gyn visit. ;-)

Cheers

Louise

thank you for your comments they are VERY helpful...i will look up some of the posts you mentioned and see if that helps me understand better. thank you!!