Wendy Powell

Safe exercises for pelvic organ prolapse – find relief without surgery

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Pregnant woman in a green dress, gray sweater, and cream hat outside in the snow.

Let’s talk about prolapse. And pooping. And straining, and constipation and ‘not feeling empty’, and about bulgy bits and organs feeling like they’re falling out. What are the best exercises for prolapse relief without surgery? And when *do* you need medical intervention or surgery?

What does a prolapse look like

 

Grades of Prolapse. Image used with permission from Pelvic Guru®, LLC www.pelvicglobal.com

Prolapse relief without surgery

50% of women of child bearing age will experience some level of prolapse. (Yes, that’s half of us, so we should be talking about it a lot more).

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Prolapse and pelvic floor problems do not just ‘get worse’. A mild or mostly asymptomatic prolapse *does not mean* an inevitably worsening prolapse.

You can manage symptoms and avoid surgery or further issues, by simply changing some of your movement (and bowel movement) habits.

More on types, grades and symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse here.

Pelvic floor exercises for prolapse relief without surgery

Kegels or pelvic floor exercises are essential to relief of prolapse symptoms without surgery. But there is more to a kegel than ‘squeeze like you’re trying not to pee’.

exercises for prolapse relief without surgery

 

Using a wedge to exercise with prolapse. Image used with permission from Pelvic Guru®, LLC www.pelvicglobal.com

An effective pelvic floor exercise requires as much focus on the release / relax phase of the muscle action, as it does on the contraction.

Find pelvic floor exercise step by step instruction here. Raising your hips with a wedge as your exercise will help you connect and feel your pelvic floor exercises working.

MUTU is proven in hospital trials to improve prolapse symptoms and pelvic floor strength. 88% of women suffering from symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse reported significant improvement after using MUTU System.

Clinical survey data from Trial in partnership with Norwich University Hospital in the UK with 100 postnatal patients

Change how you go to the toilet

This is my key #WendyLoves recommendation for prolapse relief without surgery. For good pelvic floor health, put your feet up when you go to the bathroom. The Squatty Potty, is what I like to put my feet on when I go.  Squatty Potty Logo Long Raising your feet and your knees when you poop aligns your pelvis and pelvic organs to eliminate more comfortably and more completely. Go here to watch a video of a cute Unicorn pooping rainbow sparkly ice-cream, which weirdly, explains it all perfectly.

squatty potty for good alignment when going to the toilet

Great for everyone’s pelvic floor at every stage of their journey, and especially if you’re dealing with prolapse symptoms, haemorrhoids, constipation, if you strain, or struggle to feel ‘empty’. Seriously – this little stool by your toilet might just change your life 😆

Keep your gut healthy

Constipation, bloating and digestive issues do not make for smooth and easy bowel movements. Poor gut health can also cause fatigue, trouble sleeping and brain fog. Look after your gut health by: limiting (or eliminating) processed foods, eating a high fibre diet and staying well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Slow down when you eat, and add fermented foods like Kimchi or Sauerkraut to your diet.

Alignment exercises for prolapse relief without surgery

‘Alignment’ means posture, or biomechanics. It’s how your body stacks together when you walk, stand or sit. And alignment affects your pelvic floor function. More on alignment and your pelvic floor here but in a nutshell, don’t tuck your tailbone underneath you and don’t wear high heels too much. The best exercises for prolapse relief without surgery will build strong glutes, core strength and good alignment.

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Pessary for non-surgical prolapse relief

Alongside the above exercise, movement and toileting options, you can get fitted for a pessary.

A vaginal pessary is a device made of rubber (latex) or silicone, inserted into the vagina and left in place to support the vaginal walls and pelvic organs. A pessary does not fix or cure the prolapse, but provides extra support and can help relieve symptoms

Pessaries can be effective to ease the symptoms of moderate or severe prolapse, and can be a good option if you cannot have, or would prefer not to have, surgery.

different types of pelvic organ prolapse

Vaginal pessaries come in different shapes and sizes depending on your need. The most common is called a ring pessary. You may need to try a few different types and sizes to find the one that works best for you. Two common types are support pessaries—such as rings—and space occupying pessaries—such as Gellhorn or shelf pessaries. More on types of pessary and options from WebMD here.

A gynaecologist, specialist nurse or pelvic floor specialist Physiotherapist usually fits a pessary. Not all Pelvic Health PT’s will do this so check with yours. A pessary needs to be removed, cleaned and replaced regularly. You will learn to do this yourself but should always ensure you get the right fit and technique with a specialist medical professional first.

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When DO you need surgery for prolapse?

The answer to this is when 1. Symptoms bother you enough that you want it fixed and 2. Pelvic floor rehab, toileting / alignment strategies and non-surgical options like a pessary… have not improved matters. Mesh surgery for prolapse can be effective but is not without problems or controversy. Get informed about vaginal mesh surgery here.

Remember too that just like in the case of abdominal surgery for diastasis recti, it’s not a case of EITHER surgical OR non surgical solutions. All of the above strategies will help relieve symptoms and prevent worsening of a prolapse, whether or not you decide to opt for surgery. So don’t give up on non-surgical exercises for prolapse relief without surgery, even if you decide to have surgery as a last resort. They will all still help! (and get yourself a Squatty Potty – you won’t look back ;-

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10 comments

  1. Hi everyone, I have 2 beautiful girls 1 and 3 but since having them i have never regained my pre pregnancy body or weight! Next year I am finally getting married so really need to shift the weight as would love to be the size and weight I was before children and the way I was when I met my partner. I do xercise but nothing shifts and it is really getting me down. I kno what you mean when you say you cannot find your stomach muscles, mine have completly vanished. Would love to win to help find the old body nad confidence wise……
    Good luck to everyone – we can and would always appreciate the help!

  2. I am a mum to 2 boys that were both 8lb 9oz so a good size, my problem is the belly it was stretched so so much. Winning this would be great as I get Married in April and am so hopeful to get into shape – I have been trying to loose weight by eating what I want to an extent but reducing the amounts of it I am eating so the loss is more sustainable. I try to go swimming 2-3 times a week and swim 50 lengths a time I am noticing the tone but the belly is still annoying me. I hate the gym and doing major amounts of sit up so need the push to get the belly to go!!!!

    Good luck to everyone us Mum’s all need a little help!

    1. hi rachel how are you? i hope that the swimming is going well. yes i have to agree with you that lossing weight around the belly is so so hard. i started doing tummy cruches i did start to notice a difference.. something else you might want to try is ( you might not like it tho if you dont like sour) is first thing in the morning is have a glass of ice water with lemon.. they say it helps burn the fat cells??????? good luck with the wedding!

  3. Hi everyone I had my beautiful baby girl 6 weeks ago and must say was very fortunate to not really put on any weight other than a bulging tummy however I did suffer from serious morning sickness. All the way through. I am normally someone who likes working out but have never had a washboard stomach.I do feel like I have no stomach muscles and would love to get my tummy a little toned. I have been doing a few stretches and walking. With my baby in the buggy. Good Luck to everyone.

  4. i had my girl in july and since than i m trying to loss weight. it’s so hard and winning this will give me that push to reach my goal.

  5. As with Becca – i felt the same with my first pregnancy – and although i didn’t lose a massive amount of weight i had finally identified that “point of fullness” when I ate… something I just didn’t understand before sharing my skin with another!!! i am already feeling much more positive about returning to fitness after this baby!

  6. In all honesty, I wasn’t in that great shape before I fell pregnant! I guess that pregnancy is encouraging me to take a more holistic approach to it all – I’m taking advantage of the fact that I’m not allowed to be on a diet (for once in my life!) to try and work on intuitive eating and listening to what my body says a bit more.

  7. I’m desperate to loose weight, I am a mother of 2 boys, aged 1 and 2. I had to give up my one fitness training which was rugby because it was too demanding of my time. I put on 3 stone over the course of my 2 pregnancies. It’s easy to put on but hard to loose. I have always struggled with my weight but now it’s just depressing. My husband and I have had intercourse twice since our youngest was born just because I’m so embarrassed about my body and don’t want him to feel how fat I am. I hope this program can help

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