Menopause...are we ticking time bombs?

Body: 

I've been dealing with this really obnoxious and mentally exhausting rectocele since 2016. I have adopted the WW posture, exercises, and other helpful hints and tips. The posture has been great help. When I read about prolapse through this forum and others, plus other online resources, I am really worried about the dreaded menopause. What is the deal? Will this just get a billion times worse when I hit the change? I'm 38, but scared already. I read the tissues deteriorate and whatever prolapse I have now, will be worse. Then...the only option for relief is surgery (which I DO NOT WANT!). I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that this can actually be managed over the rest of my life without surgical intervention. I have a rectocele and my bladder bulges when bearing down, but I have no symptoms with it. Are other people scared that this will get worse, or is it reasonable to think that it could possibly just stay the same with the WW work?

Reading your post, I have the impression that you have missed a good deal of our message here. No matter what happens after menopause, surgery is a disastrous response to it. Many women do experience changes to the vaginal tissues after menopause, but there are solutions to that, which we discuss often. As for the prolapse itself, menopause doesn't necessarily make any difference at all. Some of us just happened to become symptomatic after menopause (myself included) for a condition that was in the works for years, even decades. If you are correctly addressing the condition now, at 38, and you keep this up forever, I see no reason why menopause will make it worse. I wish I had known about all this when I was your age. - Surviving

Yes! I had wondered before whether everything will get much worse. Thanks Surviving again! Great advice and reassurance!

I'm actually quite perplexed by the news that things get worse at menopause (I'm a new member and have a bit of catching up to do I guess).

My sister, who was a GP, said that her prolapse was much better after menapause in a matter of fact way, so that's what I've been expecting.

And it's what I've recently found when I took my long-term ring pessary out a couple of weeks ago - things are holding in place much better than they had been. So I don't know whether it was the expectation set up by what my sister said, or just how my body is working, or what, but I'm pretty pleased with how things are going for me.

Hi Witchypoo,
For some women, the uterus shrinks up to a great degree, and isn't noticable anymore, while others become very symptomatic after menopause.
So that we are not relying on chance, we do the whole woman work to help us lesson or even
eliminate those symptoms from ever occurring.
Have a good look around this site starting at the tool bar above. The best thing for prolapse is the whole woman posture.