Rectocele and sex

Hi Lewisa,
Welcome to the WW community. I hope you find this site as helpful, informative and supportive as I did when I first joined the WW forum a couple of years ago.

It sounds as if your prolapse may have increased. The sooner you buy the book and dvd/s the better! (The 1st Aid to Prolapse has a lot of great info and intro around pelvic organ support and prolapse as well as a dance based WW practice. The other yoga dvd's offer, obviously yoga based practices, and other information inter-related with the theme of the chakras.) The sooner you know what to do to make things better - what makes things worse - the sooner you'll be able to improve your prolapse symptoms and prevent it getting any worse. One of the great and empowering things is that you can gain enough knowledge to gain control over your prolapse, rather then the other way around. And rather than just leave it to chance whether or not your prolapse gets worse, you also take responsibility for and take charge over your condition.

The WW path is a self help path. It takes time, patience and participation. It's not something women can only read up on and know a lot about, more importantly (for results for pop) is living the life-style, living in WW posture and exercising according to WW principles. I would strongly recommend anyone with pop to invest in their health and happiness if at all possible, by buying the WW resources and if required/possible having a WW practitioner/Christine consultation.

Re prolapse and sex - basically and generally yes no problem. Genuinely it appears most men wouldn't even notice if their partners didn't discuss it with them. When you think about it, cytocele and rectocele involves a bulge in the vagina - which makes it more constricted around the penis during heterosexual intercourse. For those of us with primarily uterine prolapses, the uterus and cervix is very mobile and so is easily and generally painlessly. And if you have a uterine prolapse very helpfully pushed right up to the apex of the vagina. (Our sex lives have actually improved because I love it partly because it feels so great to feel and know it's either helping to improve my pop - or most of the time nowadays ensure the cervix is maintained right up, above the pubic bones). However intercourse may need to be gently to gently push the cervix up without causing discomfort or pain, especially in the beginning when you're feeling your way. From my own experience and from what I've heard, it's generally not uncomfortable or painful. Sex can be pleasurable, relaxing and contractions and especially during orgasms are good for prolapse recovery and pelvic organ support.

Many women with pop experiment with which positions feel best for them during intercourse. The pelvic organ support system and intra abdominal pressure when lying down is different to when standing up - and women do not have to concern themselves about the WW posture when lying down. Women are also designed to have sex whilst supine as well many other positions. Having said that many women with pop find that lying on their backs may encourage their pelvic organs to fall back - and therefore more prone to falling back and down into prolapse. I think for those of us already with pop's we are more vulnerable than a women with robustly good pelvic organ positions and support. Personally at least I rarely have sex on my back these days. Not sure how much this is psychological and how much is actually physical, but because I think/feel that having intercourse lying on my back with a heavy weight on my front (ie my hubby!), may push my pelvic organs back, even if my cervix is being beautifully pushed up, I rarely do so. I find there's a lot of personal trying and seeing what works for you in the WW work.

Alternative positions to the supine position are thankfully plentiful - spooning/your arse to his front, lying down face to face, doggy position, cat position, you on top... and plenty of other positions to explore.

Of course if it painful and/ore you're worried or concerned, then it may be advisable to consult a doctor and just check out whether there is anything else going on.

Wishing you an ongoing happy sex life:)
wholewomanukx

Whole woman UK has given you a lot of food for thought there. What I wanted to beam in on was the pain you felt like a toothache and just want to agree it is something you need to keep an eye on and if it returns what appeared to bring it on, a bowel movement or a jog or whatever and then perhaps see your doctor and check that it is something that you can just treat with a pain killer and avoidance of whatever activity you were engaged in at the time. Sex of course is for the doing, only way to really know; so courage up there girl. Let's hope it does not prove uncomfortable at all.
There are ladies here who have rectocele and will be able to give you more info as you require it.

I agree, lying on the back is not nearly as comfortable, psychologically, physically? I know it doesn't feel as comfortable, actually feels very vulnerable. My favorite position has become both of us on our sides facing each other. I feel I have more control of what is going on and how fast it is going, if that makes any sense.

hi lewisa,

a couple of years ago, i wrote an article called a husband's guide to prolapse. my thesis is that no married or partnered woman suffers prolapse alone. it is in the relationship and affecting your intimacy whether it gets talked about or not.

much better to have open communication about it so he has at least some understanding of what you may be going through emotionally and physically that may be affecting your sex life. most men are pretty ignorant of female anatomy and are often queasy about it.

do print out the article, have him read it, and have him read the book and watch the dvd with you so you are both getting educated and you feel you have a partner in learning to successfully manage your prolapse. you can find the article by clicking this link.

lanny - christine's DH