Prolapsed Uterus

For mild prolapse or early symptoms, small changes in your daily habits can help ease discomfort and keep symptoms from getting worse. These may include:

• Maintaining a healthy weight to reduce pressure on your pelvic floor
• Avoiding heavy lifting or learning proper lifting techniques
• Treating constipation with fiber, fluids and regular bathroom habits
• Managing chronic coughing by addressing smoking, allergies or asthma
• Doing Kegel exercises at home to gently strengthen your pelvic muscles

Pelvic floor therapy is a specialized form of physical therapy that focuses on strengthening the muscles and tissues that support your uterus and other pelvic organs.

A trained pelvic floor therapist will:

• Teach you how to properly do Kegel exercises
• Guide you through stretches and movements to improve pelvic alignment and strength
• Help with posture and breathing techniques that reduce strain on your pelvic floor
• Offer strategies to manage symptoms during everyday activities

A vaginal pessary is a soft, removable device that’s placed in your vagina to support your uterus and hold it in place. It can be a great nonsurgical option for women who want to avoid or delay surgery, or who aren’t candidates for it.

Your doctor will fit you with the right type and size of pessary, and teach you how to insert, remove and clean it. This fitting is done at your doctor’s office. Some women wear a pessary all the time, while others use it only during certain activities, like exercise.

Pessaries work best when symptoms are moderate and the vaginal tissues are healthy. Regular follow-ups with your doctor are important to ensure the pessary continues to fit well and function properly.

If your symptoms are severe or other treatments haven’t helped, surgery may be recommended to repair the prolapse and restore your quality of life. There are a few different surgical options, depending on your health, age, and whether you want to preserve your uterus.

• Ligament suspension surgery: This surgery restores support by repositioning the uterus or vaginal vault (if the uterus has already been removed) and securing it to strong ligaments in your pelvis. It helps keep your pelvic organs in their proper position and is often done at the same time as a hysterectomy, or in place of one if you want to preserve your uterus.
• Colpocleisis is a vaginal closure procedure often recommended for older women who no longer want to have vaginal intercourse. The vaginal canal is partially or fully closed to support the pelvic organs and prevent prolapse. It’s a less invasive surgery and can be very effective at relieving symptoms.

A hysterectomy, a procedure that involves removing the uterus, is rarely performed on its own for a prolapsed uterus. However, a hysterectomy combined with another procedure, such as a ligament suspension surgery or sacrocolpopexy, may be a surgical option.