Can someone please help me with self diagnosis of cystocele ? - and is my prolapse dropping ?

Hi Peony

I sounds very like a cystocele and a rectocele, but I am no doctor, just a woman with prolapses. There doesn't seem to be one simple way that prolapses present. Everybody is different.

It is probably best to go visit a doctor and get a proper diagnosis, as there may be something more sinister than prolapses happening. Let's just hope it is simply prolapses for now. The doctor will probably also be able to tell you the degree, which may give you a benchmark for where you are at right now. However, even the degrees seem to vary, whether it is the doctor's perception of your organs and how they sit relative to the vagina, or whether your organs do indeed present differently at different times, as mine do. Some women go to several doctors in succession and each will tell them different degrees. The important thing is to ensure that there is nothing more serious.

If it is prolapses, the degree usually doesn't really mean much. Neither Wholewoman techniques nor surgical procedures will cure prolapses. How much the symptoms are bothering you is what matters. What is important is that you start using Wholewoman posture, ensure that your diet has enough water and fibre, never ever strain on the toilet again, ensure that your clothing doesn't compress your abdomen, and ensure that your exercise programme is suitable for a woman with prolapses.

This Forum is where you can find out how different women do this and share your experiences. Many women find that they can improve their symptoms greatly just with these methods, to the point where they are barely noticeable.

If it is prolapses the doctor may or may not suggest surgery. S/he may also suggest other things like pessaries and Kegal exercises.

Don't know about the tingling and pulling sensation though. What were you doing when you noticed it? I can't really associate it with a prolapse dropping. That would be more like a fullness in the vagina or vulva which had not been there before, I think. Others may be able to shed more light on this.

Cheers

Louise

i remember you mentioned in the past that your symptoms have changes with your cycle. i just got my first period postpartum. in your experience, how does your prolapse change for you? i just felt like everything is worse today, or maybe i am just emotional/hormonal and not tolerating it well today. also, used a tampon for the first time, and found it uncomfortable.
as for peony, i am fairly new here and experience what is more of a burning sensation. i think we all experience it in different ways. mine is usually fine when i am lying or sitting. but feels heavy, like i have to hold up a billiard ball in my vagina. with bouts of burning and urinary urgency.

Hi ladies

Firstly Peony, you don't say your age, but I could imagine that at a dry time of the month, or related to menopause it could be the posterior and anterior surfaces of your vagina kind of sticking to each other that causes the burning and pulling. If this is the case you may just need a little lubrication. You could try a water-based personal lubricant or some food grade oil or some vitamin E cream. They are not going to hurt you and may just fix the problem so the surfaces can glide over each other better. At worst, if it doesn't fix it you will be able to rule out this possibility, which will give the doctor more information. Some women resort to oestrogen creams to overcome a dry vagina, but I reckon something a little less likely to cause side effects, and a bit less expensive could work just as well, and improve comfort during sex too! . Who knows, the main benefit of oestrogen creams may even be the lubricant effect of the carrier cream?! LOL

Just a thought. It's funny how we say 'my prolapse' or 'my hernia' or 'my hysterectomy' as if they are tangible things, and they are our possessions. All "prolapse" means is that something has slipped forwards or downwards (Oxford Dictionary). It is to do with position. It is not a thing. Likewise, a hernia is a bit like a hole. It is not actually a thing. It is a statement that there is a hole that something is slipping through, out of its normal position. (Of course this does have risks!) Likewise a hysterectomy is a surgical procedure which makes the uterus 'not there anymore, and leaving a space'. I can't quite figure out why any woman would want to append "my" to that! Sorry, that was a bit off-topic, but it has been rattling around in my head for weeks, and I had to post it.

The fact that prolapse is about malpositioning of 'something' is the very reason why posture needs to be the primary means of repositioning it.

Jsync, ha-ha I was right! Isn't it great that it was something so simple as a return to normality for you. See, it is happening, bit by bit. Just be patient. (((hug)))

I often notice about a week before a period that I can feel a different sensation in my vulva and lower vagina if I haven't been calendar watching. I usually think to myself that I must have been doing some heavy physical work and need to take it a bit easier for a few days. I might also get a little leaking or urgency but not enough to worry. I also get a flaring up of lower back pain, but that's also related to ragged lumbar discs. Then of course I start bleeding a few days later, and realise what it was. At that point I know I have only a couple of days of discomfort, a couple more days of (now) unplredictable bleeding, then maybe a few days of thin discharge until I ovulate again. That's about all I think, but I am 54 and must be getting close to stopping menstruation. I have had a couple of long cycles in the last six months. Like all things to do with being female, it changes all the time. If it is not menstrual cycles it is breastfeeding, pregnancy, weight gain, weight loss, new job, stress with kids etc. Ho-hum!

Hope this helps.

Louise

now that i may actually have a cycle, i will keep mindful of my symptoms. it might be a relief to know things are cyclical and sometimes worse due to this. sort of lilke when i am having a meltdown day, and can say...nothing is worse than yesterday, just exaserbated by hormones.