postpartum cystocele

[querico]

Has anyone tried out a V2 supporter to help discomfort from a postpartum cystocele? I'm 5 weeks PP and have a grade 3 cystocele. It's very uncomfortable, especially by the afternoon, when the bulge tends to increase and really protrude vaginally.

[fruitful womb]

I haven't tried one of those. But I too have cystocele. Mine is a stage 4!. I'm sorry you haven't gotten any other replies yet. I know that this sort of thing can be heart wrenching. It was for me because my midwife will not deliver anymore of my babies because of it. : We wanted to try for another girl in 4 years. Do you know what this sort of thing is caused from? What did your doctor tell you? I've been reading Whole Woman to find more about this. Still reading it. And still learning. No one should ever have to deal with this. I hope you get better.

[JennySmith]

I have this problem too and it seems like no one else does. What have you done to ease the problem? I am 16 months post-partum and the bulge is still quite huge- esp. in the afternoon, when I've been wearing my baby and after a bm.

My doctor doesn't seem to think it's a big deal and no one seems to know if it will affect having more children (or what it will do to my body if I do).

So, I'm not really sure what I'm saying here- but would love to talk with some other women who also have this problem.

[tinyshoes]

I think women experience saggy pelvic floors because we have under-developed ab muscles.

In my experience, including visits to a physical therapist, and 4 years of reading and study on this issue, the lack of core strength is what causes many women to have pelvic prolapse...it seems odd, but the only thing keeping women upright when their abs are weak, back muscles are weak, glutes are weak--is the pelvic floor.

So the good news is, the pelvic floor is so awesome, it can hold you up--but it cannot do it very well, and sure, by the end of the day, and any straining which causes intra-abdominal pressure to increase (i.e., the BM) will actively push the pelvic floor muscles down and out, and make the problem worse.

Carefully working on core strength, perhaps with the guidance of a physical therapist (because if your pelvic floor is currently working to keep you upright, there's a whole lot of ab-requiring moves that your body has found new ways to execute without using your abs) will allow the pelvic floor to do its job, and ONLY it's job.

It is possible for extreme birthing scenarios to cause trauma (i.e., forceps, 5 or more hours of pushing) and cause a cystocele, but I think for most women, core strength is key.

I recently read this book,
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Bikini-Mi...3152985&sr=8-1
which might win the award for Worst Book Title Ever, but the author of this book correctly instructs pregnant and post-partum women on how to properly tone the abdominals--simply DOING CRUNCHES is not the answer, as there can be a diastis of the recti muscles. While the author doesn't talk about the pelvic floor w/ his book, it's one of the most useful books I've read on ab strength.

[querico]

I was referred to a urogynecologist. He referred me to a PA who does pelvic floor physical therapy. I will start this week and my insurance will cover weekly therapyl. I really hope it will help.
I'll let you all know.
By the way, I bought the V2 supporter on line. It does seem to help a bit, once you get over how hideous it is! Also support undergarments like spanx help, they make some that only go to the thigh. they pull things upward so you aren't as aware of that dragging droopy feeling.

[querico]

I'm sorry yours is grade 4. When was your baby born?
I'm curious to know why your midwife won't deliver any more babies?

[fruitful womb]

Grade 4. It sucks. IC too which just AGGRAVATES the whole thing! What is PA? My Midwife went with me to a doctor she recommended. He scared the crap out of the both of us! He told me I look like a 60 year old...ahem down there , I'm 29 so yes I hiccuped-BAWLED for two straight days. Got maybe two hours of sleep during that time. I can't believe he told me I look like a 60 yr old, I JUST HAD A BABY for cryin' out loud. He needs a good swift kick in the pants! If it weren't for the prayers I'd still be a basket case. All my friends prayed for me. Sorry, I don't mean to sound so pathetic. Back to your question, after my MW saw the horrified look on the nurses face and was throughly intimidated by the Dr. , she agreed with him that my next child will have to be born via c/s. Liam was born 10 wks ago. MW won't deliver anymore of MY babies. She'll still practice. That was at 8wks pp. Since then I've been doing TONS of research.

Your 5wks pp and only a grade 3. Consider your self lucky. You still have time to heal. So do I. And your SO SMART for taking care of yourself! Being pro-active in our healing process will account for a successful pp recovery. (In England) They won't do an evaluation for prolapse surgery until ONE YEAR post partum as they consider the vagina to be in trauma until that time. No S**T
and
In chinese medicine, post partum is a period of two years, your body can repair itself.

[tinyshoes]

Originally Posted by fruitful womb

(In England) They won't do an evaluation for prolapse surgery until ONE YEAR post partum as they consider the vagina to be in trauma until that time. No S**T[/B]
and
In chinese medicine, post partum is a period of two years, your body can repair itself.

This is amazing information and very important--I did not know this....thank you for sharing!

[~*max*~]

Hi mamas. Mind if I join you? I am one year postpartum w/my 4th baby and recently learned I have a uterine prolapse & cystocele. My GYN recommended a hysterectomy & bladder sling (!!). Ummmmm, no! I am going to see a urologist this week, just to get a full diagnostic picture, but I am not doing any surgery. Wholewoman.com has been a lifesaver to me. I ordered her books & video. I do the exercises daily and am awaiting her book on Nutrition & Prolapse. I am also looking into Mayan Uterine Massage & seeing my chiropractor. Today I saw some Red Raspberry Leaf Tea in my cupboard, left over from pregnancy, and realized this would probably be a good thing to start drinking again too.

What's everyone else doing to take care of themselves? Anyone have any good supplement recommendations?

When I first learned about this I was so freaked out. I never suspected I could have such a thing. Other than this, I feel so healthy & strong. I vascilate between feeling optimistic and empowered, to feeling overwhelmed, depressed, and like my body is failing me.

I'd love to dialog with other mamas experiencing this if you're interested.

[querico]

join us!

These are difficult diagnoses to have. I totally understand the feeling you have had of "my body is failing me".
It doesn't seem to make sense for any of us.
How could it be that just a few years ago I ran the NYC marathon? Now I can't walk more than 15 blocks without feeling saggy and wiped out.
I did all of that prenatal yoga, have always been very active and fit, and I end up with this? I can completely relate.

It is also a challenge to be a mom of multiple children and deal with this.
It sounds like you are doing everything you can.
Perhaps you can get a referral for some physical therapy. There is another mdc member who has had really great results with PT.
I'm giving that a whirl.
I am also interested in nutritional support for this and would love to hear what you find.

I purchased the V2 supporter. I'm not that crazy about it, but have seen other posters on wholewoman say that it helped their prolapse. I feel like it is constricting (but i suppose that is the idea). A midwife/friend of mine recommended support shorts like hanes body enhancers or spanx. I was skeptical, but now find they help my symptoms of saggy feelings. I put them on and honestly feel like they support my pelvic floor and energize me!
I hope that your consult goes well with the specialist.
stay well.

[fruitful womb]

I felt so harshly judged and maimed when the doctor said what he said and that I too needed a hysterectomy. "I hate that doctors are so cavalier about removing women's reproductive organs when there is nothing wrong with them - except that they are in the wrong place." I'm sorry, I have to give credit for nicoley73 for saying that very quote to me once. It was a broad cyber shoulder to cry on. I saw the doctor again last Saturday and this time dh went with me. He had 1 hr of sleep within 24hrs because he is in training from work. Bless him. He asked the doctor, "Bottom line, can she have a vaginal delivery or not?" His reply, "Yes". Dh- "Ookay, what can happen?" Doctor, "Probably nothing". He prescribed Premarin, an estrogen cream. He said it would speed up my recovery. I'm suppose to use it for three days straight at bed time and then every other day for two weeks and then once a month for three months then not at all. I'm afraid to use it. I'm still researching to see if its safe. I'm bf so will it effect my milk supply?
If your looking for a PT in your area this is a great site to go to. Be sure to find one that specializes in women's health.

Sorry about my grammar tonight ya'll. I love to read care free writing. It shows character. I'm sorta picky about the way I write. Excuse my poor writing skills. They're at rest because I am SO TIRED!!!

[~*max*~]

Thank you for the warm welcome mamas. I am glad to find such a supportive thread. I have been posting on Whole Woman, but not getting any replies (?) and was feeling kinds bummed about it.

Fruitful Womb, re: the Premarin, there are natural forms of the estrogen creams available called Bioidentical Hormone Replacement (BHRT) that might be a better fir for you. BHRT are made from either soy or yams. Premarin is made from preggnant horse urine. My dh works in this field. He says there are plenty of compounding pharmacies in TX that could make them up for you. You would need your doctor to write a presciption. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more info. Congratulations on your pregnancy. When are you due?

Querico, where did you buy your support shorts? That sounds really interesting, especially for when I exercise or am really busy. I also have varicose veins from my pregnancy that I thought went away, but now my prolapse seems to be pushing on them and they are painful again. Maybe the shorts could help this. I have support hose but it is way too hot for them, and they choke the life out of me!

Oh, and if you ladies are posting on Whole Woman, my user name there is H (max was taken).

So glad to meet you all.

[fruitful womb]

Wow its nice to know who you are over there! I'll look you up. I'm not pregnant At least I don't think I am. Dh was asking about the vaginal delivery because we want to ttc a girl in 4 yrs from now. Thanks for the info on the Premerin. Do I have to get a prescription for the BHRT? Happy 4th of July Mammas!!

~*max*~, where are my manners! Your a wise woman!

[nicoley73]

I ordered a fembrace when my uterus prolapsed at 2 weeks post partum. It really helped me feel better - it was a little uncomfortable and restricting, but I felt much more secure that nothing was falling out while I was wearing it.

I'm now 11 weeks out and feel pretty much back to normal most days. I think the physical therapy really helped. I had 5 sessions and my PT told me to continue my exercises daily for at least 16 weeks. I do both kegel and core (abdomen) exercises and think that the core strengthening was key in helping my recovery. My OB had described my pelvic floor damage as significant - at 2 weeks pp my cervix was coming out of me by the end of the day - and told me that while PT couldn't hurt, it probably wouldn't help too much. But my therapist was very encouraging from day one.

These are the things that helped me:

my mother started talking about my issues with the women in her office and 3 of them experienced prolapse after childbirth that essentially resolved itself. I had no idea it was so common. It made me feel less defective to know that others had the same problem.

I limited stairs, lifting, did nothing high impact or that involved abdomenal pressure. I made sure I was not constipated - my PT said that straining on the toilet is really bad.

I knew that I needed to wait until 3 months (at least) after I weaned to make a true evaluation of my status. And I plan to bf until at least a year. So I had a long time before I could even really think about what steps I would take. And I would not despair until that point - luckily my 2 kids keep me very distracted...

I think also a positive attitude from both yourself and your loved ones helps. My dh and mom always told me that I would be fine and it really kept me going.

[~*max*~]

Originally Posted by fruitful womb

Wow its nice to know who you are over there! I'll look you up. I'm not pregnant At least I don't think I am. Dh was asking about the vaginal delivery because we want to ttc a girl in 4 yrs from now. Thanks for the info on the Premerin. Do I have to get a prescription for the BHRT? Happy 4th of July Mammas!!

~*max*~, where are my manners! Your a wise woman!

: I just assumed about the pregnancy - sorry!
Yes, you would need a prescription for the BHRT. www.womeninbalence.org and www.zrtlab.com are sites that my dh says have some good info.

Thanks for the warm welcome.

[~*max*~]

Hi nicoley, it sounds like you had a really positive & productive plan in place. I am really glad to hear about the women your mom knows whose prolapses healed. That is encouraging. If you don't mind my asking, you said you needed to wait until 3 months after weaning to make a decision about your course of action. Was this bc bfing has an impact on prolapse, or bc of another reason? I am bfing my one year old right now, and I have wondered how the hormones might be impacting my prolapse, for exapmle keeping my ligaments loose.

[nicoley73]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

If you don't mind my asking, you said you needed to wait until 3 months after weaning to make a decision about your course of action. Was this bc bfing has an impact on prolapse, or bc of another reason? I am bfing my one year old right now, and I have wondered how the hormones might be impacting my prolapse, for exapmle keeping my ligaments loose.

Apparently your estrogen levels are lower while breastfeeding, and low estrogen can lead to thinner, weaker vaginal tissue - that provides less support to the other organs. A lot of women develop prolapse after menopause. I have no intention of weaning early, and no doctor I talked to suggested it, but you should be done with nursing before thinking about surgery, imo.

[pigpokey]

It is probably not necessary to wean before surgery if your cycles are normal indicating decent estrogen levels.

[~*max*~]

Just wanted to let you mamas who post on WholeWoman know that I changed my username over there to Indigo. (It's my horse's name, so it feels more powerful to me. And in this situation, I need all the help I can get!)

[ZanZansMommy]

Originally Posted by querico

Has anyone tried out a V2 supporter to help discomfort from a postpartum cystocele? I'm 5 weeks PP and have a grade 3 cystocele. It's very uncomfortable, especially by the afternoon, when the bulge tends to increase and really protrude vaginally.

I have one that I use almost daily. It's a life saver for those days when the bulge seems unbearable I actually started wearing mine while pg with DS 2 yrs ago. I've also tried a pessary & a sea spong but nothing has been helpful. I did consult a urogyn & was going to opt for surgery but then I found the whole woman site & nixed surgery.

I also saw a PT who specialized in pelvic floor issues who told me there are many, many factors that contribute to this condition. Poor abdominal support can be one of them but that isn't always the case. I had awesome abs prior to conceiving DD (I was training for a body building show) & I still experienced a prolapse 3 mos. PP. The PT thought it was from 8 hrs of pushing during my 1st labor