severe prolapse simptoms

Yes, UTI's are often a feature of prolapse. The combination of post- menopause vagina/urethra and prolapse puts your utethral opening in very close proximity to your underwear. Cross contamination from your anus, via the crotch of you undies can be a culprit, along with chafing which sets the scene for inflammation as a precursor to infection. I used to get them quite often, during perimenopause, but haven't had one right through menopause, now 3 1/2 years ago. I think this is because my urethra is now well tucked away.

Clean undies a couple of times a day can help, or clean pantie liners. No knickers is another solution that can be done sometimes, wearing a slip instead. Keep your pubic hair longer to form a barrier between vulva and undies.

Also, have you had a urine culture? Do you know for a fact that it is a UTI *only*, and that you are on the right antibiotic?

Candida can also sneak in in a high pH environment, and cause its own inflammation, which can make it difficult to get on top of a UTI. Some antibiotics will also encourage candida, by killing off the bacteria keeping it at bay. A probiotic course after the antibiotics will help to re-establish healthy microflora in your gut. This might also help your constipation.

These things can all drag you down without your realising it, but I think you are realising it now.

You are at the beginning of your Whole Woman journey. It will get better. Yes, you might have rectocele, which will be interfering with your ability to empty your bowel. Straining against the toilet seat trying to make the poo come out will aggravate an existing rectocele. I suggest that you use the Search box to see the thousands of posts that have been done about this incomplete emptying thing, and rectocele in general.

Then get cracking on your new Queen posture.

Come back with more specific questions.

Louise

Hi lila braga, welcome to the forum. Here you will find loads of info, and from the sounds of it you have already found that out. ;-)
I too am new to the scene and am learning as much as I can before I go to see my gyno. I have even signed up to take the teacher course! I believe that mainstream medicine has failed is in this area. We need to educate each other as women, mother, aunts, sisters, so this can stop happening.
If I can help in any way I will try.

Swannee

one thing I did read on the site recently is that it is quite common for women who do yoga to experience prolapse and there are some positions to avoid. I am new here but have dealt with the chronic UTI's in my 20s. Drink lots of water, change your undies frequently, wipe front to back, don't do baths, and try natural cotton pads instead of tampons or synthetic pads. I had a vicious cycle of period, UTI, yeast infection over and over and over for years. The only thing that finally cleared it was a month of antibiotics followed by diflucan and very careful management.

These are useful suggestions. My research on the internet has also suggested that topical estrogen (I use Estrace vaginally once a week) may help you resist UTI's. They also say to eat lots of parsley and celery.I am post menopausal but I had a dilly of a UTI recently. Hope this helps. I see my obgyn on Tuesday.

Ladies, please be sure first and foremost that you are emptying completely every time. That can be a challenge with prolapse and you won't necessarily know whether you are or aren't unless you work at it. All these drugs and estrogens have side effects and pose dangers of their own. - Surviving

Ooops, you lost me at "kegel master". Hoping that after you have seen your doc, for whatever help you are hoping for there, that you'll want to concentrate more on WW techniques, giving them a real chance before you get too far afield. You do seem to be having good success with a natural, postural approach - keep it up and keep us posted. And watch your posture ALL the time. - Surviving

What exactly IS ''urinating on 4''?

sevilla

Urinating down on all fours - like over a basin, or in the shower. It tips the bladder and unkinks everything so you can drain all the way.

I’m one of the many who kegeled religiously for years (on and off for decades) and ended up with prolapse anyway. When I read Christine’s explanation of why exercising these muscles has nothing to do with actual pelvic organ support, and can actually aggravate prolapse if done incorrectly or too much, I was ready to put kegeling behind me forever, and move on. If you do kegels I would at least suggest that you don’t overdo it, and that you are always careful about posture when you do it. Don’t do it while pulling navel to spine, as is often recommended in conventional treatment models….rather, keep lumbar curvature in place at all times, which I assume you are doing anyway. Remember that you're trying to keep the organs FORWARD, and only WW posture can do that. - Surviving.

Hi, I have the majority of the symptoms everyone else has but also seem to experience leg pain, hip pain, also didn't know green tea was bad, I have been having alot fo tea lately and things seem to be getting worse, didn't know green tea could hut it

Hi rafable - do you have reason to think that green tea is causing you problems? I drink it all the time. - Surviving

Hi lila braga and everyone,
I'm really pleased you're feeling so much better - and that Louise's suggestion of peeing whilst on all fours has helped so much .

With regard to your query 'will it last?' - well who knows, there are so many variables in life. However, women who adopt the holistic approach advocated by Whole Woman optimize their chances of attaining and maintaining optimum pelvic organ health and well-being. Many women have found either relief from and reduction of prolapse symtoms &/or reversal of prolapse symotoms. However, this can only happen if women are prepared to commit to educating themselves about the basics of female health and anatomy as well as adopt the Whole Woman posture as the norm and default posture. This is a life-long way of being and living.

I've just looked at the link you posted to 'aligned and well' with Kate Bowman. From the short videos I saw, her apporach is quite different from that of Whole Woman. I would not recommend her way of working as she is working from a different paradigm about female anatomy and pelvic organ support:
For example, in 1 video she suggested in order to maximise oxygen intake withe the breath, you breathe into the thoracic cavity - and did not relax and expand the abdomen. This is contrary to the WW way, which places quite a lot importance on relaxing the abdomen whilst breathing. In order for the pelvic organs to be supported above the symphysis pubis bones below and directly behind the lower abdomen at the front, the lower abdomen needs to be realxed in order to be able to do this.
In several videos, Kate Bowman held the female pelvis in one of the usual wrong alignments and differently to the alignemnt in WW.

As I see it Kate is viewing the pop issues very differently to WW. I am convinced Christine is right about the female anatomy and the WW principles of pelvic organ support and treatment. If you are too - the 'aligned and well' is not for you. It's easy to get confused about these issues, but it's important to know the differences between different approaches. Of course everyone has complete freedom of choice about which path they decide to follow and which treatment path to follow. But please - we must not confue or fuse different approaches.

Wishing you all the best in your improvements and recovery.
With love, xwholewomanuk

Months ago, the doctor wanted to do a laproscopic uterosacral ligament suspension.
I saw it only had a 60 percent success rate, so I backed away.
But I am in trouble now. I never had incontinence with this prolapse. I have urinary retention and it is extremely painful.
I cry sitting in my car, waiting for the light to turn green so I can rush to another place that has a bathroom. But then when I get there I can't go and the pain gets even worse. I have to twist and turn and try to make things work. I would rather have incontinence than this. It is frightening.
I don't know how to deal with this. Ice seems to help "unlock" things.... but if I am away from home with no ice, I'm stuck.
My life has come to a screeching halt. I am afraid to go anywhere, because I can't deal with this pain.
Riding in the car makes it much worse. I don't know what to do now, except to go back and let the doctors try anything. I can't live this way. I bought the book by Christine Kent a few months ago, but maybe I am too far gone to be helped by exercises or maybe I am doing them wrong.
I went in for a urodynamics test, and I couldn't even get through it. First I couldn't go, and then my bladder went into a major spasm and the pain was like having a baby (with no baby). Is there any help for me other than surgery (which might not even work)? I feel like my life is completely over.

Uterine prolapse affects the bladder. To urinate freely you need to relax your pelvic muscles. So here you have the urge to go and you hang on and then you need to go and your muscles are still tense holding on. If this is the situation there are a few things you can try, and before you do them you must make sure that you have pushed your uterus up inside as far as you can so that it is no longer obstructing the process: 1) sit on the toilet seat fully and carefully diaphragm breathe and wait. 2) stand to urinate. 3) twist from side to side when urinating as you describe. 4) stretch your arms up over your head like in a big yawn, or bend over at the hips and let your arms dangle ie anything you know that will relax your pelvic muscles. For easy urination you need to have a finely working bowel, so make sure that your diet is good and that you are regular. You could also look to see if you are taking any medication which may be affecting your bowel. Also your pelvic muscles need to be strong and in sync with your breathing, that’s where WWposture comes in. Meanwhile can you do regularly downward dog and cat and cow on all fours yoga postures which draw the uterus inside, these will also help to build the strength in your muscles and help the spasming?

I have recently read on spinning babies web site about two exercises to balance internal pelvic muscles. They are for pregnant women but seemed to apply to my situation somewhat. I have been doing the posture with Whole woman since December and have made progress especially with strength and balance but I am still baffled at how to get the uterus and bladder (that prefer to being out instead of in) to go up inside my body. I wondered if balancing these muscles could help? Any thoughts?

I didn't say that doing the whole woman posture and fire breathing does draw my organs inside (I am not sure how far but I feel air) but as soon as I stand for the next exercise they are back out again. That is why I wondered if there is tension keeping them from going all the way up where they belong.