only 23 and have a rectocele

(Edited since original post)

Hi Lucky girl

Finding a rectocele at any age is distressing but finding it before you have had babies is almost too much to take in. It is not only an older women's condition. We have had enough young women reporting the same thing to know that it is not necessarily related to pregnancy and childbirth-related injuries either.

We are genetically variable, so some have stronger connective tissue than others. It is this connective tissue, fascia, that keeps our innards organised, and helps lubricate our bodies, preventing organs, muscles and bones from rubbing up against each other. There are a lot of things that can contribute to pelvic organ prolapse. Using our bodies in ways that has gravity acting through our body in ways that stretch and damage it. Constipation makes us strain when we are bowel emptying, perhaps through our childhood. We slouch in chairs, and on our feet, too much. Surgical procedures leave scarring and sometimes unhealed areas in the fascia.

Fascia is made of the same stuff as ligaments, and it is very difficult to get it to heal in its configuration when our intestines are moving around all the time, and we are using our bodies, walking, breathing etc, and moving around the intraabdominal pressure in our pelvic cavity. Any sort of injury or trauma to the vagina or pelvic area will carry the risk of later prolapse. Fascia is like spider web, incredibly strong and stable, but once it is compromised, the forces are distributed differently, and further tearing and damage can easily happen. Mending it is like fixing a hole in pantyhose. It puckers, and another hole will often appear near it, or at the site of the repair. I would not, for one moment think you had caused this by bearing down to remove a tampon. Your malpositioned rectum would have caused the tampon to get lost in the first place!

Well, that's the bad news. Now for the good news. You can amend your posture so that you carry your pelvic organs further forward, supporting them on your pubic bones, rather than over your vagina. You do this by changing your posture into something more natural, tall, primitive and female, with a raised chest, relaxed shoulders, a lessened mid-back curve, increased lumbar (lower back) curve, a loosened belly and a prominent butt. This tilts your pelvis forward slightly. Your bladder will literally roll forwards and rest on the inside of your lower belly, your uterus on top of it, bent at right angles to the vagina. The top of your vagina is forced backwards and stretched longer by the position of your cervix. The vagina holds the rectum back. These are the optimum positions for your pelvic organs. In addition your pelvic floor will rotate from horizontal to more diagonal as your tailbone rises, so its thin, sinewy structure only has to stabilise at the back, and not support from underneath.

Pelvic organ prolapse happens when the top of the vagina moves forwards and becomes vertical. The bladder falls back and down the vagina, the uterus falls off the top of the bladder and down the vagina, and the rectum has room to fall down into the space vacated by the vagina, so you end up with too much rectum down too low. When the rectum fills it needs more space, so it impinges into the vagina.
This is not a series of events that happen one after the other. The changes usually happen gradually, usually at the same time in response to the way we use our bodies.

Your belly will not stick out. Your rectus abdominus (6 pack) muscles stretch tight from underneath your ribs down to the pubic bones at the bottom front of your pelvis as your ribcage rises and moves further away from your pubic bones. No more holding your tummy in. It can take care of itself. :-) Your bladder and uterus need a little lower belly out front to rest against.

All these postural adjustments tighten your pelvic floor automatically, and pull the inside of your body into a more taut configuration. Allow your belly to expand and contract as your repiratory diaphragm moves down and out when you breathe in, and in and up when you breathe out. This exercises your six pack muscles as you breathe, expanding and contracting with each breath. Breathing like this will strengthen these muscles.

Your body is quite different from a male body in some respects. by far the majority of our western exercise programs are designed for the male body, with its smaller lower body spine curve, its greater upper body strength and mid-back curve, its narrower pelvis across the front, and its less vulnerable pelvic floor. If we train our bodies like a man this is what we will end up with, and this means a more horizontal pelvic floor, which is not good in a body which needs to be able to birth a baby, but also to keep its organs inside.

So, walk taller, wear clothes that don't compress your belly, do anything you have to do to prevent and resolve constipation and straining, exercise appropriately, and learn to use your body in ways that keep your pelvic organs forward, on bone, when you lift, carry, dance, run, jump and move.

It sounds hard, and it might take a while to get it right, but there are lots of women on these Forums who lessen their symptoms and give their bodies the best chance of keeping their pelvic organs where they are supposed to be, with quite serious POP. It sure beats getting on the surgical treadmill for life. You will always have this cystocele, but it doesn't have to rule your life or make you feel disabled.

I suggest that you have a look at the 'Wholewomaninc' videos on Youtube to get a better idea of what I am talking about. Get Christine's book and the full DVD First Aid for Prolapse from the Wholewoman Store. They are a wonderful investment in your womanly future.

I hope I have reassured you enough to be able to go ahead and enjoy the Christmas season. Call back with further questions and comments. There should be somebody knowledgeable around most of the time. There are lots of us.

Louise

Hi Luckygirl

I think the size of your vagina is probably linked to the rectocele because the fascia between the vagina and the rectum has stretched out or torn, or something, and allowed the rectum to push into the vagina. This will stretch the back surface of the vagina. The vagina is designed to do this in childbirth, so it is kind of OK.

Numbness in the vagina. Well, the surface of my vagina has never had a lot of sensation. Vulva and clit, yes, but not the vagina itself, except at the entrance.

You say you have been very depressed. Are you taking any medication that might be making your bowel sluggish? The other thing about depression and anxiety is that it will curl us over into a c-shape, with a tucked butt, rounded back and shoulders pulled forward and up. This type of posture will loosen your pelvic floor so your bladder and uterus slip back over the top of your vagina and under your sacrum, which straightens out when you slouch. This will push the top of your vagina further forward and give your rectum more space to expand into. Voila, rectokcele.

As you haven't had any pelvic repairs, and you are so young, there is plenty you can do to get your pelvic region back into its correct configuration, and get your pooing sorted out.

Have a look at the Wholewomaninc videos on Youtube, where you will get a brief introduction to Wholewoman work.

It is about changing your posture into a primitive, tall, proud posture, like you are a queen, with beautiful breasts, a soft, springy, rounded belly and a prominent butt. this is the way women are supposed to carry ourselves. It kind of winds up your pelvic contents so they are pulled forwards and high. It is also about changing your diet so your stool is always easy to pass, and you never strain when emptying your bowels. It is about using your body differently so intraabdominal pressure doesn't push your pelvic organs down your vagina when you exert yourself. You will learn exercises to help you to reposition your pelvic organs. You probably won't understand all this at first, but don't despair. You have a lot to learn. It will get better. It may take some weeks or months, but you will get considerable improvement.

All the nitty gritty details, explanations and diagrams are in Saving the Whole Woman. Christine's DVD gives a more user-friendly version. I would encourage you to buy both. I have been doing this work for over six years now, and my rectocele barely bothers me at all now. You will read similar stories from others, and some quite young too. You really are not alone. We can help you lick this.

I am sure you won't have to remain single all your life because of this. Men really don't know the difference. They are more interested in the fact that they are having a lovely time, than they are about the shape of your vagina. There is more to sex than penetration. There is more to a good relationship than penetration. There is so much difference between women anyway.

Now, chin up, and go check out YouTube. Use the search box on the lefthand frame too, to find out as much as you can from old Forum posts. Then come back and ask more questions.

Catch you soon.

Louise