Menopause and Prolapse

Body: 

I am the mother of 4 daughters and had my last daughter at age 34. All of my deliveries were vaginal, and back in the day of natural chicldbirth. NO MEDS! I guess I am proud of that ;) I had easy pregnancies, never a problem until after my last daughter. I noticed a bulge in my vagina just a few weeks after delivering. I also experienced constant vaginal infections following for a year. I was diagnosed with a rectocele and cystosele. Eventually they subsided and symptoms didn't really become noticiable again until my mid late 50's. The bulge was back.
I had my last period at age 57 and I am now 2 years into menopause. This past year the bulge has gotten more noticable. I started running at age 53 and I am finding it uncomfortable to run at times. I do notice my days of heavy lifting are over, and if I do the bulge becomes more prominant to the touch and feeling in the area. It feels as though a tampon is falling out!
In the past year I have experienced over-active thyroid (Graves Disease) and Plantar Faciitis. This put a stop to my running and just when I got this under control, I started experiencing bleeding hemmoroids when I run, although only occasionally. To make it even grosser, I also have stool along with the blood. The running has kept me sane since the death of my husband 6 years ago. Now I have to deal with this. I feel it is being caused by the rectocele, because sometimes when I wipe, I hear a gurgling sound, assuming it is this pouch with stool. Anyone beside me having these issues, EVER?
I am an active woman, not overweight and healthy in the last 6 years. Running (always placing 1st. in my age group) , cycling, and swimming. I trained for a triathlon in 2010 and now have come to a standstill.
I have checked about surgery but now understand it is not successful. I am too active. I want to hold my grandchildren, I have my first one coming in March.
Please advise!

Welcome Ruthie2012

Whole woman work is really about posture which you may have read about in the previous post by surviving. You can look under the FAQs on the home page to find a description of WWposture. The sooner you can get started on adopting the WWposture the quicker you can start on your way to improving things.

We really do advise new comers to purchase Christine Kent's book "Saving the wholewoman", it really contains everything you want to know about prolapse. It really is important to know exactly what you are dealing with.

Read around on the site and search rectocele in the search box at the top of the page and you will find a lot has been discussed about it. Specific to rectocele, but important to all prolapse, is the avoidance of straining on the toilet (and lifting as you mentioned). This in turn leads you on the quest to improving your diet in search of the perfect stool: regular, and easy to pass.

So you have a bit of work ahead of you and a lot of information to get on top of, but you have a wonderful motivation in expecting your first grandchild in March. (I was born in March, all us best kids were.)

As for the running, it seems like you have a lot of factors working against you at the moment, but with someone like yourself who can obviously push the envelop and show a lot of enthusiasm you have space to put wholewoman into dedicated practice and that's a good beginning. It works. Come back with anymore questions you may have. Just think of it not as a replacement for running, but an interim arrangement. Ultimately, WWposture will become something you will want to do for the rest of your life.

best wishes, Fab

Hi Ruthie - One of the best ways to get into WW posture is with lots and lots of mindful walking. For you, right now, this can and should take the place of running. Once your body learns the posture, you will be able to tell which activities you can handle and which need to be modified in order to guard the lumbar curvature and the support of the organs in the lower belly. This program works! I had large babies and I'm sure I experienced some PP prolapse, but at the time I just wrote off any feelings of heaviness to normal recovery. The bulges did not start to re-appear until the years leading up to menopause, and I did not actually figure out what was happening until after menopause. I was never an athlete, but I was always fit and I did lots of exercising over the years. The wrong stuff, unfortunately. I kegeled and I followed the Jane Fonda workout philosophy of "stomach pulled in, butt tucked under". If only I could turn back the clock, and adopted this posture post-partum. - Surviving