Rectocele and Cystocele Pregnancy??

Submitted by angelmama on August 11, 2009 - 5:13pm
Body: 

So I'm turing 26 soon, have 2 children and I was wondering how pregnancy after developing Rectocele and Cystocele 3rd degree is? You can get pregnant when it's that bad right? Also should you wait after surgery to get pregnant again? Will it polapse again? I want some advice because I still want to have more children. I'm 6 weeks pp currently & am scared of surgery, but don't want it to get worse. I was told I will probably need surgery in 1yr. I'm also wondering if next pregnancy birth will have to be C-section or if I can have vaginal birth? Will the prolapse get worse from either or & does it matter if it's post or pre-surgery child birth?

alemama

August 12, 2009 - 7:48am

yes you can get pregnant with prolapse.
Yes you can carry the baby full term and have a vaginal birth.
No you won't have to have surgery and you certainly won't want to be pregnant or give birth after the surgery if you choose to go that route.
The prolapse may or may not get worse there is no way to know- I would say if you have an uneventful pregnancy and birth then you will probably not have any change for the worse in your prolapse.

I am 29. I had my first at 23 and my second at 24- after my second my husband noticed a bulge when checking out my stitches. We just disregarded it. Then after my third when I was 26 I was diagnosed by a midwife as having a rectocele. In researching prolapse I found this site. I have had another baby since my diagnosis. I am almost 5 months postpartum now.
My prolapse symptoms during pregnancy were mostly pressure. This was during my third pregnancy more than during my 4th. During my 4th pregnancy the size of the bulge actually increased some but has since gotten smaller.
So yes you can have more children. During pregnancy your prolapse may become more symptomatic- but by the time you are 1 year postpartum it should be back to asymptomatic.

louiseds

August 12, 2009 - 9:11am

Alemama has really said it all, Angelmama. And you know that she is not the only one. I know that you are worried, but you don't just march right into it. Alemema looked after herself *really* well for her fourth pregnancy, underpinned by her Wholewoman knowledge, and it paid off. You look after yourself really well and be the knowledgable one about your pregnancy. don't even think about surgery until you have finished having babies and you will be fine. Really. Now straighten up and get reading!! ;-) Baby steps. One thing at a time. Babies first, OK?

Cheers

Louise

bad_mirror

August 12, 2009 - 11:45pm

6 weeks pp is super early in the postpartum healing process. People kept telling me this, but it took seeing for me to believe. At 9 months pp, I am a thousand times better than at 6 weeks! It is great that you are here so early . . . I wish I had started Whole Woman as soon as I found my cystocele, but was in some denial still. I credit so much of my healing to these methods.

mzimm

August 13, 2009 - 1:38pm

Hey angelmama,

I am 12 weeks pp and I was freaking out at 6 weeks just like you! I am 27 and have one beautiful baby girl. I was told I had moderate cystocele/rectocele, then a few weeks later I was told by 2 doctores no rectocele, but slightly prolapsed uterus and mild cystocele. Just goes to show how much things can change in a matter of weeks! I feel MUCH better than I did at 6 weeks, both emotionally and physically. At first I could feel it all the time and it drove me insane. Now, I have more days where if I didn't KNOW something was wrong I would never have suspected anything!

The women here are wonderfully encouraging and experienced. If I were you, I would take a DEEP breath (I know how anxious I was at your stage pp), relax, and give yourself some time. Also, I do believe the posture is very beneficial. It might seem awkward at first, but it really is important to get those organs in as close to their natural position as possible.

It may help you to find a couple "success stories" to focus on when you are feeling down. You can follow people's journeys if you track their posts. I always feel encouraged when I read some of the initial freak-out posts and then see how women have adapted and improved over time. It is HARD to believe, but it DOES get better!!!

Also, you ABSOLUTELY can get pregnant again and have a very healthy pregnancy. There are several women here that have and have been kind enough to share their stories. The stories I've read and my doctors' advice definitely matches up in that you can have another vaginal birth. I don't believe that C-sections have been proven to lessen the risk of worsening the prolapse. I definitely wouldn't consider surgery at this point, especially if you want more children. It is not likely to get worse anytime soon if you follow some of the basic lifestyle changes outlined on this site (maintain good posture, don't strain on the toilet, no heavy lifting, etc.) You have to give yourself time to heal--more than likely your "grade three" cystocele will be much smaller in a few months to a year.

I can be the biggest doubter (look at some of my past posts!), but I have already seen improvement and know I will continue to see more!

Blessings to you and your new little one. Stay positive!!!

mzimm

kiki

August 13, 2009 - 3:50pm

Just to echo what's been said!
At 3 weeks I developed grade 3 POPs...and oh it was hard to believe they could ever shift! But by a year they were so much better, at 2 years "mild" and now i barely notice them. I have to look after them and my body, but they aren't what they were.
6 weeks is so early--give your body time, lots of it to heal. Adopt the WW work, and just wait and see. So much can change, and you will most certainly reach a point where what you are experiencing now is a distant memory. then, it will be much easier to contemplate more gorgeous babies, not needing surgery, and living with POPs.

angelmama

August 14, 2009 - 9:56pm

Thank you everyone for your answers! Yes, I know it's early still,but of course I'm scared..this is still very overwelming for me & I want to be able to live comfortably w/my POPs & have it get better. I wish that my POPs would just magically go away when I wake up 1 morning, but I know that's not realistc. I hope that when the time comes to be pregnant again that you ladies are there to help me deal w/it. I don't like the idea of surgery because I hear the scaring gives nerve damage & sex will become painful or more painful, but it's just so hard to believe I can get better w/o it & I worry it will get worse. If I do end up needing the surgery in the futue I hope you ladies will be there to comfort me as I recover. I just found this site recently & I'm new, but it feels good to know I'm not alone & I just need some answers & reasurance to get me through this all.

Thank you!

-living w/Rectocele and Cystocele 3rd degree

angelmama

July 30, 2010 - 5:45pm

I'm currently 13 months pp and 19weeks 6days pregnant w#3 now. I'm not sure if any of you will remember me because I stopped going on here shortly after I joined because I became depressed by thinking & reading about my POP so much. I basically just focused on my kids and daily life, and took it 1 day at a time.

Then after time passed things began to change for me and my POP. I noticed sex wasn't that painful anymore and I can actually enjoy it sometimes if I don't do it that long(still have cramping in my bladder during and after,but not instantly during), my cystocele now varies from 2nd-3rd degree, my rectocele has ranged from 1st-2nd degree, my urethra is also prolapsed was discovered since I 1st came on here and they say that is 1st degree as well as my uterus. I still have a problem with incontinence and wear a pad to help for the times I sneeze, cough, laugh or lift (to name a few things)that causes my worst problems with that and I tend to have a slow steady leak if I don't empty my bladder and hold it too long. I also have cramping in my bladder if I hold my urine in too long, after urinating and now I have times where I have trouble emptying my bladder so much that straining makes my prolapses at their worst, same for constipation, so I try when I can not to strain too much. I find myself pushing my bladder or bending/standing over the toilet to empty my bladder completely at times and sometimes I don't have that much difficulty emptying my bladder.

My husband and I have decided to not have my tubes tied or the surgery right away after I have my 3rd, just in case we want a 4th, but if my POP gets too bad after having #3, then I will get both surgeries. I really would like to have a 4th (want 1 last try at having a son, because I'm having my 3rd daughter)and am debating whether I should have a C-section to avoid making my POP worse. My OB tells me I risk prolapsing my pelvic floor if I have a vaginal delivery and that worries me because I want to prevent my POP from getting worse. I don't use a pessary and I refuse to put something in like that for feat that I could get an infection.

I guess my question is what can I do to help with emptying my bladder and will having a 4th baby be possible with the POP I have now/after delivery of my 3rd? Also will having a C-section be the best choice so I can have a 4th as well? I'm not crazy about having surgery in genera, but I'm leaning towards C-section currently.

granolamom

July 31, 2010 - 9:41pm

hi there angelmama
welcome back and congrats on the pg!

you arent' the first to ask about whether an elective c/section is a good idea in terms of preventing further prolapse. on the face of it, it seems like a good idea, right? except that a c/section (aside from it being major abdominal surgery and posing higher risk to both mother and baby) damages the pelvic support structures from above. such as abdominal musculature, fascia and ligaments. it also sets you up for scarring, and scarring can be pretty unpredictable (I'm talking more about internal scars not so much the scar that you see). the pelvic organs are not really held up by the 'pelvic floor' muscles, though those muscles do play an important role. the organs are ideally held in place by the curvature of your spine and the forces generated by breathing and the weight of the uterus. those things kinda push the uterus forward into the low belly, over the pubic symphisis (bone) and you're good to go. I'd worry about cutting into that system, especially once you know you've got POP. and the increased risks to you and the baby are real, even though so many women and babies come through c/s ok. In a serious medical situation, c/s can be a lifesaving option but as elective to maybe prevent further prolapse? I'd still place my bets on natural childbirth.

I don't remember how much experience with the WW program you have, but I think that if you are planning another baby after this one, that's the way to go. right after the baby, pull up into posture. start nauli/firebreathing as soon as you can. I think if you singlemindedly make managing your prolapse a priority, then you'll probably be good and ready for another one in a couple of years (personally I would give it at least a year or two or until you feel that you've reached a solid baseline before trying for another one)

to help with the urination, first of all, don't hold it in! and do whatever you need to do to tweak your diet so you aren't constipated (constipation can impact urinary incontinence too). try urinating on hands/knees. some find that helps better position the bladder.
and do not strain. that, as you know, is really awful for prolapse.

I know that POP can be depressing. learning to manage it, and minimize symptoms/maximize healing can be really empowering too.