Quite depressed over this......

Hi whatdeheck,
I great sympathise and empathise with you and how you feel post prolapse diagnosis. I'm sure your post resonates with most of us on the site. Basically, the vast majority of us would rather not be in that/this position - but here we are! Having/having had to face a reality most of us would rather not have had to face. So initially there's a process of gradually coming to terms with the reality of pop. Alongside we may also need to think about treatment choices.

To my mind it makes sense to try the WW approach first. It's safe, natural and, by the accounts of many women on this site, effective for many women. Women can try this approach and still have choices. However the same is not true of surgery. Once women have undergone surgery, there's no turning back on that decision.

About 2 years ago I experienced debilitating symptoms of pop, mainly uterine prolapse with accompanying pain down my inner thighs and sciatica like pains down my bottom and back of thighs. I was 54 and felt reasonably fit and healthy and amongst other things, a yoga teacher. I also had hardly heard of pelvic organ prolapse and had no idea what to do. The choices I was given were pelvic floor exercises, pessary and surgery if it got worse. However I wasn't very encouraged by these choices and until I found WW I thought it likely that I'd end up with surgery if things didn't significantly improve. I certainly felt I couldn't live like that anymore, i.e. crying a lot on my bed, not knowing what would help or make things worse!

Fortunately I did find WW - and it's been a life-saver! I read the book and followed the dvd practices. It made sense and worked for me. Since then I have practised about 20' a day most days. I try to live in the WW posture and make this my default posture. I have a good diet, try not to be constipated or strain on the loo, I try to reduce my stress levels and increase my happiness levels as much as poss.... The combination and accumulation of living the WW way in the WW posture has significantly improved my symptoms. I'm now mostly symptom free. However for me personally I feel I have a vulnerability and if I don't follow the WW way, then I'm prone to pop symptoms. However I don't freak out anymore - rather it's hey ho - back to taking more care. Who knows - perhaps over time my symptoms will continue to improve... In any case, my pop journey has made me re-consider my life and my health and happiness - and I can honestly say I'm now healthier and happier than I was before my pop symptoms.

Re pessaries - it's worth reading the section on pessaries in the book 'saving the WW' &/or referring to old posts on this forum. In some cases pessaries can actually cause the vaginal passage to expand, which makes sense to anyone who's used them and tried to put them in or take them out. However they do suit some women, apparently mainly women with cystocele. I personally would recommend the WW way first - but the choice is always a personal one of course.

Re sex, in terms of intercourse, from what I've read on this forum, experienced myself and heard from other women re. experiences with men at least, is that they wouldn't have a clue if the woman hadn't discussed it with them. My personal experience is that sex was good for uterine prolapse and sex has been good - perhaps the pop makes it more of a squeeze for the male penis? I've also avoided sex in positions which I thought might press my pelvic organs back and down. My experience is that pop has not been a problem.

Re curves: Yes women are designed to be curvaceous! My image of beauty has changed since understanding pelvic organ support. Natural curves are beautiful!

Good luck with it all. You're not alone. Pop is one of the most common health issues women experience. Knowledge is power - and sangha (community) is support. Women can support and talk to each other.

Have hope - and trust in Life!
wholeowmanukx

Life happens like that. To go straight to the really sore point your recent divorce, it is not unusual for a woman to then have a physical reaction to match their sorrow. For others it could be a sudden weight gain, for others breast cancer and so on. This is not too much of a stretch to say this as there have been more and more studies done on the mind/body connection showing this. That does not mean we can blame ourselves or someone else for this, just that it is a natural human physiological process that sometimes occurs in these moments of acute stress. How it all works I can't explain, but possibly if you are at all prone to something happening, that's when it is more likely to happen. So as part of the management it is possible to look at how you are seeing yourself, perhaps as if "your guts have been blown away"? It's a personal metaphor which only you can find. Of course this is simplifying things, there are multi causes for any condition. But no, your body has not betrayed you, it is doing its best to survive, it obviously has been under heavy assault. Take time to consider. Wholewoman posture and other aspects of physical management are an essential main ingredient.
As wholewomanUk has talked about the sex angle, I have little to add except to say that women with prolapse have sex and enjoy it. Some tell their husbands/boy-friends about their prolapse, some don't. You could take the motto, no complaints means no complaints.