Surgery For Prolapse?

Submitted by ethel laura on December 27, 2010 - 10:04pm
Body: 

I am 70 years young and have worn a pessary for about 10 years now. I do long distance cycling, Yoga, Weight Training and Pilates. I do not know it's there. I try to remove and clean it about every two weeks. About that same time I use Estrace vaginally.

Recently I had a pelvic ultra sound that showed some changes or thickning in the wall of the uterus. My OBGYN has scheduled a D&C to get a cell sample from the uterus. I asked why not remove it at the same time since I have had a history of polops. she said that later that could be done with some "tightning of the pelvic floor" and that she together with a urologist would do and I would longer need to wear a pessary.

Is it really that easy to fix sugically? Anyone have any experience with this operation? Or are the risks too great and its better to wear the pessary the rest of my life.

Thanks for any input

louiseds

December 27, 2010 - 11:22pm

Did the OBGYN mean remove your uterus and tighten the pelvic floor? Or did she mean remove the lining of the uterus and tighten the pelvic floor? Or something else?

Without knowing which she meant it is not possible to answer your question.

Is the thickening of your uterine lining connected with the Estrace cream? Are you taking any progesterone, which would counteract the breast and uterine tissue proliferation risk (if the Estrace is having an unplanned systemic effect) that occurs with oestrodiol alone. Estrace is not supposed to have systematic effects, but I guess different dosages could be a factor.

Inhalers that contain steroids are not supposed to work systematically either, but I know how my skin integrity improved dramatically *as soon as* I stopped using my asthma preventer!!! I personally do not believe that topical oestradiol has only a local effect either.

MeMyselfAndI

December 28, 2010 - 11:35am

My Mother has been wearing a pessary for about 4yrs now and she is quite hapy to use this for life, if it helps her as much as it has thus far. My mother is a bit younger than you also.

I think you would have to weigh up the pro's and con's of everything - as doctors tend not to tell you the entire story and they say 'a little operation' when it is major surgery.

I will say however that my Grandmother had a surgery to tighten her pelvic floor - IO remember this as every time she walked in the front door - My family ran round to cover a chair for her to sit on as she was left with zero ability to hold urine. (As far as I remember she didn't seem to notice this either) It was very sad that everyone else saw her visiting as an annoyance because of this problem :-(

I would definitely ask for more information on this - And find out the name of the procedure they would want to do on you. As without information - You will not ever know what they are about to do until they have already done it!!

Good luck to you

ethel laura

December 29, 2010 - 9:52pm

I appreciate your input and will not jump into any surgery if the biopsy of the uterus in the D&C next week is not cancer or pre-cancer. Surgery to free me of the pessary was mentioned as almost a fringe benefit of a hysterectomy. ..however any risk of incontenance would stop me in a minute! Thinking of your poor grandmother.
thanks again
I do wish there was a spell checker on this forum. :)