Bladder Prolapse
A Cystocele, or bladder prolapse can affect you in various ways:
- Cystocele / Bladder Prolapse
- The front wall of the vagina supports the bladder and it can weaken and loosen with age. If it deteriorates the bladder can prolapse or fall into the vagina. A Cystocele is the most common type of pelvic organ prolapse and is commonly associated with prolapses of other organs.
- Urethrocele or Urethra Prolapse
- The urethra carries urine from the bladder out of the body. A prolapsed urethra occurs when the tissues surrounding the urethra drop downwards into the vagina.
- Cystourethrocele
- Often the bladder and urethra will prolapse together this is known as Cystourethrocele.
Healthy Pelvic Floor
Example of a Cystocele
What causes the Bladder and/or Urethra to prolapse?
- Pregnancy/multiple childbirths with normal or complicated vaginal delivery.
- Weak pelvic floor muscles.
- Menopause – the pelvic floor muscles can weaken due to reduced oestrogen levels.
- Chronic coughing, straining through constipation and heavy lifting.
What are the signs of a Bladder or Urethra Prolapse?
- Pelvic pain, lower back pain.
- Stress Incontinence.
- Difficulty urinating, feeling of incomplete voiding.
- Frequent bladder infections.
- Painful sexual intercourse.
What can be done?
- Do Kegel exercises to help strengthen the muscles of the pelvic area and prevent further worsening of the prolapse (and further prolapses).
- Wear a vaginal pessary.
- Keep your weight in check, if you carry excess weight this will put pressure on your pelvic floor and could result in further prolapse.
- Constipation will make you weaken your pelvic floor due to straining - use a Go Better stool for correct toilet posture.
- Low impact exercise is a must - no high impact as this will make your prolapse worse. Stick to prolapse friendly workouts.
- Learn new stratergies for lifting and avoid heavy lifting.
- Correct your posture, no butt-tucking! Walk tall, BBC - bum to the back of the chair.
- Use a Kegel8 Ultra 20 Pelvic Toner - this features a programme especially for prolapse, and can help to reduce symptoms and improve your prolapse (depending on severity).
Alleviate the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse & strengthen the pelvic floor in just 12 weeks, with the help of the Kegel8 Ultra 20 & Amanda Savage!
Amanda Savage is one of the UK’s leading specialist pelvic floor and women’s health physiotherapists, who has worked in the field for over 20 years offering supervised pelvic floor muscle training and support for the recovery of pelvic organ prolapses, incontinence and pelvic surgeries. With post-graduate qualifications, including a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge, she has also gained full membership of the Professional Network of Pelvic, Obstetric & Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP). As a Kegel8 ambassador, Amanda Savage has worked alongside us for many years in the development of our best-selling device, the Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner, to ensure its efficacy. In addition, she has been integral to ensuring all supporting information and instructions are medically accurate so that the device is used correctly/effectively, and treatment is tailored to the specific condition of the user.
Find out more about Amanda Savage, her qualifications, experience, knowledge, and affiliations here.
Comes complete with an easy exercise plan, created by Amanda Savage, to get results in 12 weeks!
Here at Kegel8, we are all too aware of the discomfort, not to mention the anxiety, that is caused by pelvic organ prolapse. So, if you are experiencing an uncomfortable ‘dragging’ sensation, are struggling with bladder and bowel control, bowel emptying and a lack of intimate sensation, you are certainly not alone! Indeed, more common that you may realise, pelvic organ prolapse affects millions of people worldwide. And we are extremely familiar with the impact it has on both physical and emotional well-being, as well as on life in general.
It’s true that, left untreated, the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse will simply worsen over time. However, they should by no means be accepted as an inevitability! Indeed, regular pelvic floor exercise has been proven to build muscle and tone, creating a thicker support shelf for the organs to rest on. This essentially holds them up and keeps them in place. In addition, much like any other exercise, it builds strength and tone to ensure the muscles do not tire easily and can react quickly to provide additional support during strenuous activities. This improved endurance and strength also helps with bladder and bowel control. So, by simply performing regular pelvic floor exercise, you can get your life back on track!
The included easy exercise plan was created by Amanda Savage to prevent, treat, and alleviate the associated symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse. It is proven to build muscle and tone and create a thicker support shelf for the organs to rest on, essentially holding them up and keeping them in place. In addition, this simple exercise regime will improve endurance and ensure the muscles do not tire as easily, so that they can react quickly and provide the optimum support when performing strenuous activities. This improved endurance and strength also helps with bladder and bowel control and the contractions have been shown to calm the nerves responsible for a sensitive bladder. The plan even encourages the user to practise contracting their muscles alongside the machine, which prepares them for ‘real life’ scenarios when they don’t have access to the machine.
So, why opt for an electronic pelvic floor exerciser rather than performing your Kegels independently?
It is thought that many women push downwards when performing independent pelvic floor exercises, which, rather than strengthening the muscles, can lead to further damage. In addition, it can be difficult to locate and target the correct muscles, making exercise less effective. The Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner removes the guesswork and essentially acts as a Sat-Nav for your pelvic floor muscles, correctly targeting and stimulating a contraction within them using a small electric current. These contractions build strength and tone in a matter of weeks! With 20 clinically proven pelvic floor exercise programmes which vary in frequency, intensity and duration, the Ultra 20 is proven to treat a variety of different conditions, including pelvic organ prolapse and bladder/bowel control and emptying. And, in addition to tailored programmes, the specific 12-week exercise plans created by Amanda Savage advise exactly how the device should be used, depending upon the condition, to ensure the very best treatment.
