Medical Questions » Female Problems Questions » Question No. 376
| Question: | I am a 52 year old woman. I have a dragging feeling in my groin that has been getting worse for six months. I also keep wetting myself whenever I cough or laugh. My doctor says it is a prolapse. What is a female prolapse and how can it be cured? |
| Answer: | A prolapse is a protrusion of an organ into an abnormal place.
The vagina leads from the outside up to the uterus. During childbirth, it becomes very stretched and it does not always return to its original size. The muscles around the vagina may become weakened and the ligaments supporting the uterus may also become stretched and sag. After some years, this may lead to the uterus slowly moving down the vagina to a point where it completely fills it. Occasionally it may even protrude through to the outside. This is a uterine prolapse.
In some women, part of the bladder which is in front of the vagina may push back into the vagina, causing a bladder prolapse and difficulty with passing urine. The large gut, which is behind the vagina, may also push forward into the vagina as a rectal prolapse, this time causing bowel problems. Often there is a combination of these three types of prolapse.
Treatment is usually successful by means of an operation. In some older women, a ring inserted into the vagina may be used to hold everything in the correct place. Younger women can help prevent the problem by undertaking special pelvic floor exercises under the guidance of a physiotherapist both before and after the delivery of their baby.
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