Whole Woman Village Forum

I got a pessary two and a half weeks ago and so far I'm really happy with it. I can't even tell it's there and I started tying a string on it so I would have a way to check. I went to a urogyn and he talked up surgery and I told him I absolutely didn't want it so he got serious about pessaries. Before I got it, I was so bummed, I hated to walk around the house because the prolapse would do the bulge thing. I really feel it gave me my life back. The doctor said you only have to take them out every two to six weeks and clean them but I do it every two or three days. Mine is a ring with support and is easy to insert. When I got it, first the doctor tried a bigger one and it wasn't comfortable and I told him and he went a size smaller and I was happy with the smaller one. I do have an aunt with a prolapse and she tried a pessary and gave up on it after two days and I don't know what kind she had or anything. She is now going to have surgery but everyone is different and I kind of think she wanted surgery all along. I told her about this website but she didn't even check it out.

I've read and re-read lots about pessaries! I need some more info if anyone can help! How do you pick a good gyno, I prefer a woman! Just more comfortable there! I see in the forum, that Wicheesehead, ann helen, Pat1493, Susie Q, ginger104, and last but not least jmqhd93, all had comments about the pessary. Help me, I just don't know what to do. I think I'm going to try one! But how do you find a doctor that is experienced with fitting one????? At a lose, and looking for help, Nancy

So I've really been trying to regain strength in my abs in a safe manner. Especially that transabdominal belt area (?). Anyway, I've been doing a lot of leg lifts: I lay head up on the situp bench (slight incline), grasp the bars, and lift both legs up and then down slowly. It kills! Which is what I'm going for :) My question is, I feel as though I'm not bearing down, but I was wondering if anybody had any input or advice regarding this exercise?

Thank you!
MichelleK

Hi all,
I was attempting a really bad sitting posture one day with legs twisted and when I got up I realized that I had squeezed in both sides of my pelvis. My pevis became narrow and contracted and my sit bones became too close. Pelvis became tight, I could not longer spread my legs beyond a certain point. Not to mention the pain. How can I open my pelvis back up, and move my sit bones apart? Need help.
Success

Hello all - Jomama51 here again. I am making a visit to the ob/gyn tomorrow. I have had no surgery, and had a stage 2 rectocele, which I think has become a stage 3 (due to bad bowel straining a couple of weeks ago). From January, 2005-January, 2006, I went through menopause (my one year stretch), and am now post-menopausal. I have experienced some sleepless nights and hot flashes. Should I steer clear of HRT? Any advice on whether HRT helps with rectocele? Many thanks.

I am 29 years old and had my first baby almost 11 months ago. She was born three weeks early and was a small baby weighing 5 pound 13. She was posterior and I received a second degree tear but other than that everything went according to plan,however over the last couple of months I have noticed a bulge in my vagina. It is not affected my continence or bowel movements however I do feel as though my pelvic floor muscles are weak. Has anyone else had this experience? Is it definitely a prolapse????? Could it just be weak pelvic floor or vagina muscles so long after delivery?

I am hoping I can fix it with pelvic floor exercises but am unsure whether I should consult my ob/gyn? I am also worried about future pregnancies and birth. Can you have more babies with a prolapse and if so do you need to have c-sections?

Hello. I'm 34, and have last week developed a rectocele after having a BM. Now, my vagina protrudes about an inch. (sorry for so much info) My gyno shrugged it off as "no big deal," but to me it is! From what I've read, this condition will never go back to the way it was, and I can expect my other pelvic organs to eventually shift out of place as well. This is terrifying to me, as I have up until now had an extremely active lifestyle and have always been proud of my strength and health. Now, to avoid further damage, I can't lift anything heavy (like my son!), do my normal ab crunches, step aerobics and kickboxing, oh, the list goes on and on. I'm afraid to eat what my family and friends do, so it's almost all fruit, vegetables and whole grains - people ask me why, and I sure don't want to tell them, especially while they're eating. My husband and I are afraid to have sex, and he thinks my body will just heal and go back to normal, even though I've tried to explain to him that it won't. I can't even go to the bathroom normally anymore. I just feel so doomed and hopeless, like I've lost so much, and I can't believe that a week ago I was normal. It kills me to think that if only I hadn't pushed so hard, I would still be the same - it never occurred to me that I could hurt myself - I thought everyone did from time to time. I'm sorry to sound so whiny and to ramble on so - I know lots of people have worse problems. I guess it just would be easier to accept if this happend 15 years or so from now - I'm not ready to change my life so drastically at this age and feel I'm being cheated to a lower quality of life. I know that pregnancy is still an option, but now I'm scared to have any more children. I know that surgery isn't the answer, and have read that pessaries aren't very helpful for rectoceles.

I suffered a uterine prolapse twenty years ago that I have managed with, as the thought of surgery absolutely terrifies me. My womb is also retreverted. However, I have now been diagnosed with a cystocele as well and am finding life very uncomfortable and have become very depressed as it is really effecting the quality of my life. I cannot do my job because I cannot sit for long, am frightened to walk far and won't make any plans in case I have to go in for the operation, although I am trying to avoid this. I am doing my pelvic floor exercises but sometimes feel that this makes the pain in the bottom of my stomach worse. I do not have any stress incontinence, although I do have urge incontinence now and my understanding years ago was that I may have had a rectocele. Does this mean everything in the vaginal vault is collapsing? My symptoms are pressure in the vagina, sometimes pain in lower stomach and soreness around the opening to the vagina. I am 57 years old and had my last period a year ago. Vaginal HRT cream has been prescribed, but due to health problems I do not want to use this. My gynecologist is talking of doing the sling method if I have to have surgery. As I have a problem with allergies I don't really fancy this. I have fought to keep my womb as a scan has shown there is no disease and it would only be a repair to the vagina wall. I asked about a pessary but was told that this may hold the uterus up but could make the cystocele worse. Has anyone else here managed to keep away from the surgeon with these symptoms? I am also told that the older you are at having an operation the higher the risks and longer the recovery period. I really need to make a decision as the constant pain and discomfort is starting to change my personality and put pressure on my relationship with my husband, who is blessed with good health and cannot understand why I don't go and get it sorted out.

I am new to the whole prolapse thing. I started doing research on the internet and came across this. I still haven't had a chance to read up on everything. First, let me tell you that I am against surgery and wouldn't want to voluntarily have it done. Therefore I am interested in homeopathic remedies to prolapse and want to get a little more info. I have not been diagnosed with prolapse, but I suspect that I have it. The earliest appointment I can get is in three months so I want to learn more so I don't aggravate it if I have it. First, I am in my late 20's and still a virgin, but about a month ago I noticed a pointy bulge.

Hi, All.

I'm new to this group and have looked around, but didn't see any references to electrical stimulation devices. I went to the Urogynecology Clinic at my local teaching hospital, where they used an intra-vaginal stimulation probe. According to the staff, it has produced great improvement in women with both stress and urge incontinence. There are two separate probes available - one for the vagina and another for the rectum (for fecal incontinence).

My problems are stage 3 cystocele, stage 2 recticele, stage 2 uterine prolapse, and several tears in my anal sphyncters. (Briefly summed up as, "I'm a mess!")