Guess the prolapse ........

Body: 

Hi

Please could someone help. After a platies class (I now know how evil they are for prolapse) I can feel heaviness and dragging accompanied by pain and cramping.

I have tried to self assess from Christine's notes but I can't figure out what prolapse I have. When I insert my fingers all I can really feel is some hard bump type thing towards the back of my vagina. Apart from slight pain and heaviness the other symptom I seem to have no is not feeling like my bladder has emptied enough - and the need to go more often.

Anyone willing to have a guess at what type of prolapse I have!!!!!

Big thanks xx

There is a prolapse self-exam in Saving the Whole Woman, or you can access it here:
https://wholewoman.com/library/content/articles/prolapseselfexam.pdf

I have never had a formal diagnosis, and it really doesn't matter greatly what kind you have, since the management is the same (WW posture, exercise and tools). Don't get too hung up on a formal diagnosis, which is at best, only a snapshot of the moment, and can be very subjective or downright misleading, because you are usually on your back for this.

Cystocele and rectocele are usually squishy bulges in the vaginal walls (the organs are behind the bulges) whereas with a uterine prolapse you will feel the tough muscular cervix with a little dent in the middle. But you can feel many different variations and combinations of the above. The organs are always on the move, and most women with prolapse have a combination. - Surviving

Welcome moomoo to WW. You are new here and I can tell by your posts you have 'newbie-itis'...ie the fear, confusion, anxiety that is so typical for women to experience upon finding a prolapse. I certainly did. But in time, if you not only stick with WW, but make it your new norm, you'll find those emotions become less and less intense and ultimately give way to gratitude, acceptance and peace. Finding WW makes you one of the lucky ones.

As for which prolapse you have, S60 is correct, in that in the long run it really doesn't matter- the work you need to do (ie Whole Woman posture, etc) will be the same regardless of the prolapse(s) you have. If you feel a hard bump toward the back of your vagina, it is possible that it is a rectocele if you have some degree of constipation and your stool is hard. If the bulge has a more muscular feel to it, it is likely to be your cervix - a uterine prolapse. Keep in mind however that these organs are all intricately connected to one another by fascia and can impact how each function (for example, a prolapsed uterus can interfere with normal bowel function depending on it's location in the pelvis). I spent time and money to get a formal diagnosis for my rectocele, but when my bladder prolapsed 8 years later (I had not found WW during that time) I did not get a formal diagnosis and never will. Conventional medicine has nothing to offer me in this area.

This work requires a paradigm shift in thinking, because as you've already experienced yourself, you will get VERY different views here vs the ones you get anywhere else. Christine has written extensively about how incorrectly our health care providers view our pelvic anatomy. She understands, as do those of us who have embraced WW, that prolapse is NOT a gynecologic issue, it is a structural or orthopedic one- we have prolapse because our organs are no longer being held in our lower belly where they belong, they have slipped back, away from the pubic bone support that keeps them stable and away from the vagina. You will not hear this from conventional health care providers, from trainers, yoga/pilate instructors, etc. But in our opinion, confirmed by the self evident proof of the posture, Christine is correct and they are all incorrect. The more reliant upon conventional medicine a woman is, the greater the leap of faith that is required to embrace this work. We understand that our bodies have a great capacity to heal and, if given the right environment (or in this case, returning to the posture the female body was always meant to have) we can heal. There is no cure for prolapse- surgery is not a cure as any ethical surgeon will/should tell you- but we can work towards stabilization and a wholly functioning body by doing this work.

I understand the struggle you feel with the relaxed belly- it's a very common theme here and I just posted about it myself. But I have found that in time, with WW work, my abdomen looks better than it ever has, and I haven't done a sit up/crunch/plank, etc in over 2 years.

My best advice Moomoo would be to read read read. If you have an opportunity, make an investment in the materials that Christine has to offer, and read the forum. There is so much incredible advice and experience here. If you type a topic or question in the search engine, you will find literally years worth of helpful discussion. Take the time to read and understand the WW perspective and please do so with an open mind...it may not be inherently intuitive since it is in opposition to everything you've heard as the 'right' way of taking care of your body. But the forum has 10 years of women who are living proof of the 'rightness' of this work. And the best part of it is that it really is self evident- if you get on your elbows and knees, and relax your belly for example, your prolapse disappears. That's because those organs are, courtesy of gravity, back in the lower belly where they belong. The key will be to learn how to keep them there with your posture once you stand up. With patience, dedication, and understanding, it can be done.

I wish you the very best and happy reading. :)- gr8fl

I agree with all of the answers above. The pelvic organs are not joined but linked. So if there is a significant prolpase of one pelvic organ chances are the other 2 are somewhat prolapsed. Rectocele refers to the back wall of the vagina so there's an indication of reconcile there &/or hard stool. Frequent peeing is an indication of cystocele. So possibly you have some symptoms of both which is common.

The WW way will help. The more you engage with this system the more benefit you are likely to experience.

I recommend resources, knowledge and practice. There are now dvd's, an online course including a personal consultation, a book and a wealth of material on the web. If you're luck enough to be able to have a consolation with a WW teacher/Christine I recommend that. Nothing beats personal contact.

Remember you have the rest of your life to engage with this work, so you have time on your side - and so many health benefits in general to gain from this approach.

Best wishes, wholewomanukx