Questions?

I have never had it, Mika. Try googling it. You also have plenty of time to talk to the doctor and ask what will happen. It is a medical procedure involving measuring what your bladder does when it is filled and emptied. We are not medicos , so we can't really tell you. It is your body. They will know exactly what they will do, and it is your right to know! Good luck.

This investigation is your first step towards taking responsibility for your body and what is done to it by others! ;-)

Louise

Hi Mika. I had urodynamic evaluation done three weeks ago and like you I was really concerned and nearly didn't go. However it was not a problem, just a little embarrassing, and I had about two hours of discomfort afterwards. I had to remove my lower clothing, then sit on a special toilet and empty my bladder. That toilet was connected to a computer and it measured how much urine I produced and the pressure of the flow. Then I had to sit on a chair with my knees bent and my feet resting on a foot rest. They gently inserted a catheter into my uretha after rubbing an anaesthetic cream on it. I also had electrodes attached both from the urtethra and inside the rectum so that they could measure everything on the computer readings. I didn't feel anything really. There was a slight stinging when they put the tubes in but that passed immediately. They then filled the bladder via the catheter until I had to say when I first felt like emptying my bladde,r and then when I was really desperate. They then got me to get off the chair and asked me to stand on a mat with all the tubes still inserted.
I had to cough several times to see whether I leaked or not, then they ran a tap to see if that made any impact. After that I sat on the special toilet again and emptied my bladder still with the electrodes attached. I went on to also have a cystoscopy where they put a special camera into the uretha and you can watch on the TV screen as the doctor looks at the inside of the bladder. They filled the bladder up again and then emptied it using the catheter and it was quite interesting to see. The doctor kept explaining what she could see.

Afterwards I felt as though I needed to empty my bladder for the next hour or two urgently but by about two hours later I felt normal. There were no other side effects. I went ahead with the tests because I wanted to see if there was anything wrong with my bladder besides the prolapse and as it turns out I now feel quite relieved because I know that I can safely go ahead and not have surgery and I can use the Wholewoman ideas knowing that I am not leaving anything serious untreated. The urogyno was happy for me to leave the surgery for the time being. She found that there is nothing else wrong with my bladder. Just that I have a stage 2/3 bladder prolapse depending on what sort of a day I have had.
So that was my experience. It may be different for you. For me the hardest part was the waiting and worrying about it before hand. It is embarrassing, but the nurses who looked after me do the test all the time. There were 8 ladies doing the same test that day. The nurses were very relaxed so I was too. I now have peace of mind.

Thanks Dionysius, for that very objective and non-fear-filled account. Sometimes all we need to make a sensible decision is a personal account without drama.

There may be conditions that imitate POP, or that remain undiagnosable if POP is present. Fear of things like tumours is, in my experience, usually lurking somewhere in our decision to consent to these tests that are what I would call invasive, and would rather not have. It is indeed a relief for you to not have to worry about undetected tumours and put all your effort into utilising WW techniques. :-)

However, the skeptic in me wonders why doctors need these complicated and invasive test procedures to tell them what they might just as easily tell by a thorough and skilled manual pelvic examination. Or are they just another opportunity to put a woman through a situation where she has things inserted into her bladder, and has to be the subject of examination and special equipment use, tying up several expensive staff at the expense of the government health system or a private health insurer. It all sounds too much like kinky sex for my liking! ;-)

Who is benefitting? I suspect it it the urogyn, who now has benchmark data with which to measure and justify his opinion of the need for surgery. You may be offered these tests again later, and if the figures indicate a worsening prolapse the doctor will, I suspect, use this as leverage to get you to consent to surgery, which is $$ for him. Is simple peace of mind for you, especially if there are no other indicators of more serious problems, really important enough to justify using all these resources? Having said that, I do give you credit for being able to think about this quite clearly if and when it happens. I think you will know in yourself if you need to pull out some big guns and have surgery. I suspect that day may never come.

They do get numbers out of the computer about bladder capacity and residual urine on the day, even though they might not include unknowns like ingestion of bladder irritants, presence of pathogens in the bladder or other unknowns. Perhaps they also asked you about these in the history questionnaire? I hope so.

Anyway, I think Mika will now be able to make her decision in a far more informed way than she was able to before. Your account will also be useful for other women who ask the same questions. Thanks.

Louise

This seems to me like an invasive procedure designed to place women in the situation of being told that they aren't emptying completely and that they will need this or that surgical procedure in order to remedy that situation. If there was a tumor or other growth involved, there are other ways to detect that. Mika, I hope that you find the reassurances that you are looking for, and that you have learned enough from your time on this site to realize that docs don't have all the answers where female pelvic health is concerned. In fact, their track record in this area is shameful. - Surviving

Happy new year, all. Just been reading these posts and though they're six years old, I looked them up because this is what I've got for next week. The appointment is an hour long. I just wanted to pour out my mixed feelings into a listening ear. I postponed one appointment already because of doubts. Part of me says I should go this time; I'll never know what's going to happen until I do go; part of me is just curious. Another part of me says, don't go, as it might be just a way of trying to talk me into surgery which I don't want; and I can't see the relevance of it. I know prolapses don't occur in isolation, but as far as I am concerned, I've got grade 3 uterine, and that's it, and there's nothing wrong with the functioning of my bladder. Just wondering if anyone with a UTERINE prolapse has been called in for urodynamics, and if they could see the point, and if they went, and what happened. Reading the above, it does sound very intrusive, and I don't know as I would gain anything from it to make it worth it. I'm not asking anyone to make the decision for me, but needed to share my misgivings. Thanks for reading.

Hi ventadorn - if you are not having any bladder issues, can you tell us how you got referred for this procedure in the first place? I don't know anything about it, other than what I've read here, but it might help us to understand why you are going. - Surviving

Hi, Surviving - I think that's what I*m asking, too! I got this appointment letter with no explanation. So you don't think it's standard procedure for women with uterine prolapse? That makes me wonder all the more, if it's just an excuse for trying to make me succumb to the scalpel. The mystery deepens!

Hello. My first ever contribution to the forum. I’m 38 y o. Prolapse journey started for me about 4-5 months ago and it’s been a difficult time. In the initial stage, persistent micro blood in my urine combined with frequent urination and irritated feelings around my urethra resulted in a referral to urogyn for the above procedures. I’m not a fan of medical. Aside from having my kids, I’ve never really had a significant medical challenge. I was frightened to have these tests but I wanted to know what was going on with my body. GYN in my local area assured me I did not appear to have prolapse. I was referred to urologist. After 7 GP visits, 2 GYN visits and an internal ultrasound, I ended up travelling interstate to see a specialist urogyn who ordered these tests. I admit I took self administered sedation. I got through the tests fine, they don’t hurt. They’re just not ideal. I was told I had a grade 3 cystocele combined with rectocele and decent of uterus which is also retroverted. Bladder function and urethral diverticulm tests (MRI) were clear however, I was also tested for urea plasma parvumand this test was positive. I required an antibiotic. I feel the eradication of this bug assisted in relieving some of my nasty symptoms. It’s a specialist urinalysis test. Urgogyn recommended surgery. I booked it in. I then started reading info on this site and have clung to every word since. I’ve cancelled my surgery, hooked up with a WW practitioner Through Skype and I have adopted a number of the recommended exercises. I have had significant improvement but sometimes, at hormonal times of the month things play up and discomfort prevails which can be difficult to deal with. At other times of the month, I can be symptom free. I’d say, get the recommended tests for piece of mind and to rule out anything sinister. You can then decide on your next steps once you are armed with more tangible information. Love and light to you xx

welcome to the site and at 4-5 months post prolapse discovery you're still in, what I now think of, as the mourning and loss portion.
Hang in there - this will get better!!
but just a question about your story - were you booked in to have surgery on the prolapses?
I just think how crazy it is that one gyn told you you absolutely don't have prolapse and then another is telling you all 3 organs are prolapsed and they're ready to slice and pin and staple etc etc.

Hello. Thank you. Yep, was booked in for 3 procedures and was petrified. I’m quite a practical person so have tried to find other options. WW philosophy just made sense to me. Posture, exercises etc etc and I have felt much more comfortable since adopting a number of the ‘tools’. My struggle is now at hormonal times where discomfort really spikes. At other times, I feel almost symptom free. Thank goodness- as the discomfort I experienced earlier in this journey was absolutely dreadful. Trying to work, look after kids etc etc and knowing something was wrong, but having no idea what, was terrible. Probably the most difficult time I’ve ever had in my life actually. When I’m fine symptom wise I feel like my old self. When things are playing up, I sometimes panic that this is how it will always be. I note a percentage of how I feel each day. Many days are 95%. This helps me track a pattern of POP behaviour. I also record dates of my period, ovulation, sex, the big O, exercise etc etc to see what influences it to behave and what contributes to it playing up. See.....practical :0)

Not everyone here would be able to say that many days are 95%. My impression is that you are doing great, and your mindset will only continue to improve. It doesn't click for everyone, but it has definitely clicked for you. I didn't discover my prolapse until after menopause, but I've read a great deal from Christine and others who notice that their symptoms hit harder at certain times of the month. So....everything sounding pretty normal so far, headed in the right direction. Letting go of fear is the biggest gift we get from the WW work. - Surviving

it sounds like you're in very good shape sandstorma - and definitely don't need surgery at this point (and at any other point I think you'll find).
I am just constantly baffled by the medical world.... the surgery is so risky and you are someone who just discovered this situation, and they're quick to send you into the operating room...
my husband has been talking about lasik for years... I have always been wary (even before my eyes had been opened to the world of female pelvic surgery) and I've always talked him out of it. my eyesight is way worse than his but i've never found glasses or contacts to be that big of a deal - not enough of a deal to risk any type of surgery.... surgery in my family was strictly last resort.... yet so many people just walk right in and have various procedures done. of my small focus group of 3 people who have had lasik, 2 have had to go back for additional surgery. and now i've recently been reading about how dangerous that surgery is.... i'm sure it is successful most of the time - but my personal risk level is very low (and I'm someone who's skydived! and gone hang gliding!!)
and it's not people's fault - they trust dr's and they trust the medical profession and put themselves in their care and yet not many (if any) dr's follow up years down the road... their job is done and they move on, meanwhile you have to live with the results...

in any case i'm glad you found this site and you sound like you're really taking the initiative to learn this work - and you'll reap the benefits of doing so...
my thoughts last year when I came here was that surgery was always going to be there. one should try everything first... my biggest fear when I discovered prolapse was extreme fear of the surgery... and thinking it was either that, or living uncomfortably forever as things got worse and worse(and at only 38 at the time - that's (hopefully) many years that I need to still be active for my kids, etc.).
and then I found this wonderful group of women, who all live successfully and comfortably with all sorts of prolapse I was so relieved that surgery wasn't necessary...

Thanks Typicalme. I’m certainly trying to avoid surgery. I share the same thoughts as you. Pretty much, I tell myself that if something completely falls out then I’m probably going to need some help, but until then, I’m clinging to this work. Posture, honey, exercise, I’m not terribly overweight but I’d like to drop a few kg, different clothing etc etc. I have never had any surgery and the prospect of any absolutely terrifies me. Sometimes, on particularly uncomfortable days I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. This process can be very mentally draining. But when the symptoms are minimal, life is great!