Cystocele and Mild Pelvic Pain, Normal?

personally, my prolapse hasnt ever caused me pain. but one thing we do know is that the official grading system does not always correlate with a given woman's symptoms.
another thing we know is that the size of a prolapse is highly variable from day to day, even within the course of a single day. I might start tracking when you have this pain, maybe it gets worse at the same point in your menstrual cycle? maybe its related to some physical or emotional stress?
many times its just random, but many times we can pinpoint the cause and either prevent it or just live with it more easily, knowing why it is and that it will pass.

Welcome 2girls,
It is possible that you also have some rectocele that is not symptomatic unless you are constipated or have a lot of gas, ie more in your belly than should be there. It may not have shown up when you had your exam. A rectocele or even a very full large intestine will sometimes cause bladder discomfort by pressing down on your bladder, or resting across it. This is what I think sometimes happens if you have half a pee, then a poo, then another pee. Happens to me, though my rectocele was diagnosed several years ago.

Louise

I've only ever been diagnosed with a "mild" cystocele, though the discomfort and pain I've felt tell me otherwise.

I kept trying different doctors since I knew something was more wrong than they were telling me, and only one of them said I should be examined while standing up, but never actually did so. (Too busy seeing enough patients for the quota?) I suspect because a woman's legs are up in those stirrups, some cystoceles don't always present within the grade that they would if the woman were standing.

Also, I figure most of my discomfort is connected to low estrogen due to breastfeeding and now due to my cycle.

Hi Oh-mum

Breastfeeding will certainly dry your vagina, but please don't wean just in case it fixes the cystocele. It won't. I can tell you that now. A good lubricant is what you need right now, so your vaginal walls can slide over each other as they need to, in order to allow your pelvic organs to move around and get into their correct positions.

*You* know that there is something more awry down there than the doctor can detect, or at least his diagnosis is not reflecting your discomfort.

My prescription (she says, as she puts on her white coat and her specs) is plenty of gently, penetrative sex with a good lubricant, preceded of course by long, gently foreplay. Penetrative sex is *the ants' pants* for repositioning pelvic organs, and foreplay is the ants' pants for plumping up a sleepy vagina.

You can top this off with plenty of hands and knees on the floor to help your bladder and uterus to flop forward onto your lower abdomen and also to bring your large intestine out of your pelvic cavity and forwards on top of your uterus and bladder. This will stretch your rectum right out so it is long and thin. Stand up again onto feet and hands with butt up in the air. Allow your hamstring muscles down the backs of your thighs to stretch a little each time you stand up, and rise to standing with your chest up. 'Chest up' flattens your thoracic curve (unslouches you) and tilts your pelvis and sacrum forward slightly, with a pronounced, wide, lumbar curve. Leave your lower belly relaxed so there is a spot for your bladder and uterus to sit, away from the top of your vagina. Throwing all your pelvic organs forwards like this will push the top of your vagina back a bit, where it will keep your rectum squashed flat, so your large intestine cannot slump down on top of it and impinge on your vaginal space. Your sacral promontary, where sacrum and spine meet, will keep your large intestine from flopping back down on top of your rectum and pushing the top of your vagina forwards again (bad). Your bladder and uterus will tend to stay forwards and your sacral promontary will stabilise their position from the back.

It all sounds simple(?), but will probably not keep your organs forward at first, but the more intuitive it becomes for you to use your body in these ways that allow them to stay forwards, the longer they will stay there.

Breastfeeding position is important too. Most of us have a tendency to slouch over our baby while nursing. When you have POP it is more sensible to find positions, eg side lying, where baby and you can relax, and you are not slouching over, and pushing your pelvic organs back and down.

When you do find yourself slouching forward a lot, make sure that you balance this up during the day with lots of stretches that lengthen the front of your body to balance it up. Really stretch out those abdominal muscles and muscles of your chest and front of shoulders.

One of my favourites for this is to stand in an open doorway with my upper arms out at right angles to my body, and with my forearms and hands resting up the door architrave, palms facing forward . Feet are facing the front and back a bit from the doorway. Now move your upper body forwards, chest first, into the doorway. Hold for a bit. This gives the front of your chest and tummy a wonderful stretch, also your calves and foot arches.

Louise