Can pitocin cause a prolapsed uterus?

[triskelion]

SO I think (rough self diagnosis) I may have a prolapsed uterus 10 weeks after the birth of my first child. I was induced with Pitocin and had a very fast labor that was all from the pit. I feel like DD basically came barreling out of me and I tore a lot...A LOT. Now my vaginal opening looks completely different than it did before and there's something soft and squishy in it. Of course, I missed my 6 week checkup because I was just really unhappy with the CNM because of how my labor went and wanted to never see her again. (I should have known that was asking for something like this to happen!) Does anyone know if Pitocin or the accompanying crazy fast labors it produces result in uterine prolapses? I knew that Pitocin has a lot of issues going in but I hadn't heard of this one.

[scottishmommy]

Well, first of all your vagina is going to look different after you give birth. Heck, I bet it would look different just from being pregnant. So just because it looks different does not mean you have a uterine prolapse. That being said, more than 80% of postpartum women have some degree of pelvic organ prolapse, so chances are you and almost every parous woman you know has it. As far as pitocin causing POP, I don't know. I do know that tearing is certainly not good for your pelvic floor, but whether you tore because of the pitocin or not is anyone's guess. My best advice to you is to accept that the changes to your pelvic floor are normal and common and that it takes well over a year to get back to normal. If I were you I wouldn't look at your vulva with a mirror anymore. It will just upset you! I had POP after dd was born and I was obsessed with it. It really made the newborn/infant stage depressing. It sounds like you had a traumatic birth experience. Have you posted in the healing birth trauma forum ? It may be worth it. Hugs to you mama! Hang in there and throw away all your small mirrors!

[wombatclay]

Congrats on the babe! i'm sorry you had (and are having) such a rough time. ((hugs))

You might want to visit the Pelvic Organ Prolapse thread here at mdc to ask more detailed questions and get ideas... it's a REALLY long thread so don't worry too much about reading it all before posting!

That said... POP is a pretty common condition, but it's a "quality of life" condition too. Meaning that many women have some degree of POP but never notice, or don't find it distracting enough to treat. Treatment options include dietary changes, specific exercises (more than just kegels), alternative treatements like homeopathics or herbs or TCM or Maya Massage (Mothering magazine had a "how to" guide to this uterine massage technique a while ago), and physical therapy focused on pelvic floor repair. Books like Ending Female Pain, Beyond Kegels, and Saving the Whole Woman have ideas and suggestions that work for a variety of situations (not just prolapse).

If you do decide to see a doctor, try to find a specialist (gynecologist or pelvic floor specialist), ask to be examined later in the day and for the exam to be done while you are standing. If you are examined while on your back, gravity will "pull" everything back into place and you wont get an accurate assessment. And do keep in mind that in some traditions, Pelvic Organ Prolapse isn't even diagnosed as "official" till after the first year pp... a LOT can change in that year!