Mild exercise induced prolapse I think?

Body: 

Good afternoon Everyone -

I am so glad I found this resource. Here is my story.

I'm 53 years old and I have been involved in fitness/crossfit/powerlifting for about 6 years. In January I started a 6 week squat program to improve my backsquat. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed a very mild strange sensation in my vaginal area and wondered if maybe I was getting some sort of mild infection. Last week I did two days of heavy squats and on Friday I had some definite discomfort. Like I had a tampon stuck too low in my vaginal canal (and those days of tampons are long over!). With a little self examination, I felt a bulge in my anterior vaginal wall. Thanks to the information available on theinternet, I think I may have a mild bladder prolapse. It appears to be mild but is definitely there, very little in the morning upon rising and increasing in discomfort as the day goes on through walking, etc. I'm very very physically active and would be heartbroken if it could no longer be part of my life.

Also, I'm not working right now (writing two books) and so I"ve just applied for health insurance when I moved here to Montana in January; coverage will not start until March 1. Therefore of course I'm looking for any kind of self care. I've seen kegels, kegelmasters, all sorts of medical options that are not accessible to me now. I'm interested in Christine Kent and all she has to offer, and would love to hear back from any of you on the forum on how I should proceed.

Love and light to all of you,
Montana Girl

Hello Montana Girl and welcome,
The best place to start is by reading everything you can on this site to better familiarize yourself with the basic concepts of the whole woman work and how it can help you. Then go to the whole woman store where you will find all kinds of materials and online courses to choose from, pretty much whatever fits your needs.
Christine 's book Saving the Whole Woman and her First Aid for Prolapse DVD are the beginning of this work. You can get it in a bundle or one at a time. Lots of great resources here however you want to persue this work.

I do need to point out that the exercises you are doing are more than likely not prolapse friendly, hence the mild bladder prolapse. You will need to learn the whole woman posture, master it, and then start adding back in maybe some of this if you are able to hold posture while doing them. That does require a relaxed belly as opposed to a tightly held in one. You will learn all this with this work and what your limitation may end up being with the kind of workouts your are currently engaged in.

I just wanted to say hi and tell you that this is an eyeopening Journey well worth spending time on.

Montana--
I have experienced everything you describe, and it all started kicking in within the last year, just as menopause became official. I am 54. Yes, to the weird vagina sensation, yes, to the anterior bulge (I described it as being like an egg pushing into my vagina a little,) and yes, to exercise seeming to have triggered my symptoms.

First, do pay attention to what you can learn about the Whole Woman posture, and try to be serious about doing it! Second, try the vaginal honey trick. Really. I'm not kidding. There are several recent threads here about this. With exercise modifications, posture, and honey, my bulge is mostly gone.

I don't know what to tell you about your exercise strategy. I had started jumping rope as a hedge against bone loss, and was working on heavier weight work with the exercise machines at the gym. For now, I'm not doing those things, because the vaginal discomfort had become constant.

For now, I am sticking with fast walking on the treadmill, milder resistance strength work, and weight bearing (for bones,) by means of certain pelvic safe yoga poses and daily qigong (similar to t'ai chi.) I am avoiding any kind of position or strain that increases intra-abdominal pressure (such as sit-ups,) and skipping the bouncy high-impact stuff. It has now become my challenge to find valid, effective ways to strengthen bone and do some cardio without worsening my symptoms. I don't have all the answers to that yet, and welcome suggestions.

Thing is, I really wish I could do the rope-jumping, because I know it's bone building, and it was making me feel good to get my physical/mental neurology to pull together that way. But...prolapse is hell. I think I'll be using the stair-climber and the treadmill a lot, in addition to in-WW-posture qigong.

Also really helpful--learn to do the firebreathing exercise, and occasionally...like after going to the bathroom (and if you can!) spend a minute on your hands and knees giving everything a chance to align properly.

Thank you SO much! I really appreciate you reaching out back to me.

Do be aware that once you have mastered the posture principles, you can do pretty much any kind of exercise you want. Anything that you can do in posture, maintaining and guarding the lumbar curvature, is more than likely OK. Christine did issue a warning about ellipticals however:
https://www.wholewoman.com/forum/node/6928

Running and jumping are especially good for prolapse once you have mastered posture and are able to do these things in a controlled fashion, up on the balls of the feet, with lumbar curve in place and organs held well forward in the lower belly. - Surviving

...but I have not, apparently, quite gotten the hang of jumping rope on the balls of my feet, and in posture I guess.

Consider losing the rope for awhile, and concentrating on just what your body is doing. - Surviving

Hello. I haven't posted for awhile as I had surgery for a cancer in my bowel. I am not having chemotherapy yet unless the cancer comes back or spreads. I still have the prolapse as I told the doctor to leave it as I don't want anymore worries. The doctors don't mention my prolapse now. I will let you know how I'm going soon. Good luck to all of you. I hate having surgery unless it's absolutely necessary for my survival.By the way I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I was in hospital and didn't have a computer to post well wishes to you all at Wholewoman.

Hi Cleo - I guess this explains the symptoms and tests that you spoke about in your last post. We're glad to hear from you and know that you're OK. Hope that your recovery continues without complication. Major health concerns like this have a way of putting our prolapse into perspective. One thing or another will probably bring most of us to that realization eventually. Stay well, Cleo. Take care of yourself, eat healthy, get lots of rest, take long walks. Keep us posted! You have friends here who care. - Surviving

Hi Dear Cleo,
Sending you love and best wishes for a full recovery.

Aussie Soul Sister