So you've been diagnosed with prolapse. Chances are you'll be wondering what to do next, maybe you're feeling apprehensive, and certainly anxious. The thing about prolapse is that you can't really compare yours to anyone else's - it's hidden, and it's private - and there is such a taboo around prolapse that many of us bury our heads in the sand! Hopefully we'll be able to show you the choices available to you, and help to empower you to getting a stronger pelvic floor.
Your prolapse diagnosis may have come as a complete surprise - you may not have felt anything untoward and you might even be showing no symptoms of prolapse at all. Or you might have the dragging heaviness, the bulge, and be struggling to properly empty your bladder or bowel. Following the diagnosis by your GP you should know what 'grade' or 'stage' your prolapse is. By using grades of prolapse Healthcare professionals can help you understand what treatment is best for you. Prolapse grading ranges from Mild or Slight, to Moderate and finally Severe.
Whatever the grade of prolapse - Kegel8 is here to help you
Recent research[1]suggests that pelvic floor muscle training may be an effective way to reverse prolapse and reduce the symptoms of prolapse.
What is also crucially important is that pelvic floor exercising with Kegel8 Ultra 20 will also help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles so that the existing prolapse does not get worse it can also stop further organs from prolapsing too.
If your prolapse is severe you will need to discuss with your Gynaecologist the options to you, this may include management with a pessary or surgery. As yet it is unknown if pelvic floor exercising can reverse a 'severe' prolapse. However what we do know is that if you do have surgery, such as hysterectomy for your prolapse, you are 3 x more likely to suffer with a prolapse following the surgery.
See how other women just like you have managed their prolapse with Kegel8
It's never too late to manage and, in many cases, even repair prolapse.
At Kegel8 we help women every day to overcome the misery that is their prolapse. What these Kegel8 users have to say could be invaluable to you; these are real women who have suffered the real effects of prolapse – physically and emotionally – and have now taken back control.
Treatment for prolapse - your options
You have options when it comes to the treatment for prolapse that can be really effective in treating the symptoms of prolapse. Mild, slight or moderate prolapse can be treated by kegel exercises for prolapse and simple lifestyle changes; whereas a severe prolapse may require prolapse surgery as well as management moving forward to prevent further organs from prolapsing. Pelvic floor exercise is recommended as a viable treatment option for prolapse, as not only will it rebuild strength, it could also alleviate the associated symptoms and prevent prolapse recurring. Different types of treatments include:
Pessary for prolapse
Pessary use, especially for prolapse is gaining in popularity. It can be a temporary solution for pregnant women, women who have just given birth or prior to pelvic floor surgery. alternatively, pessaries for prolapse are fast becoming an optional daily support chosen by women who want to support their prolapse whilst they strengthen their pelvic floor with pelvic floor physiotherapy or kegel exercises for prolapse. A prolapse pessary can also be fitted as a permanent measure too but must be changed by a Healthcare Professional around every 6 months.
The benefits of a prolapse pessary are:
Management of your prolapse, stopping the prolapse worsening and making pelvic exercises for prolapse more beneficial
The downside of using a permanent pessary for prolapse is a high risk of infection and bleeding. It cannot be stressed how important it is to get a well fitted pessary for prolapse. If you are having physiotherapy for prolapse ask your Physio how a prolapse pessary will help you.
Pelvic floor exercises for prolapse
Maybe you've had pelvic floor physiotherapy and tried your squeeze and release pelvic floor exercise for prolapse - but feel you failed. Sadly most of us give up before we start to feel the benefit. By using an electronic pelvic toner for prolapse you will perform targeted exercises for prolapse even though your pelvic floor is weak. With ultra-effective pelvic floor exercise from a Kegel8 you can target the problem – weak pelvic floor muscles like never before, with Kegel8 there is no room for failure - all you have to do is use it! Much like any other workout, pelvic floor exercise will increase the tone and strength in the muscles, lifting and holding your pelvic organs back in place – even the really weak ones!
Prolapse surgery
While some embrace surgery, the majority of us want to avoid going under the knife at all costs. Prolapse surgery may involve placing synthetic mesh inside the body (to provide the support the pelvic floor once did), a vaginal wall repair or suspension of the prolapse or hysterectomy. It is important to remember that pelvic floor surgery doesn't repair the pelvic floor muscles and this is probably the reason 1 in 3 operations need to be repeated.
Prolapse surgery is not a 'simple' procedure, it is major surgery and as such like all surgery it has with its risks and a recovery period where you'll have to rest up and let the family fend for themselves. It is for these reasons it is so important you get the best result from the procedure and Kegel8 can help you here too. Start using Kegel8 now and by strengthening and improving circulation and pelvic muscle strength before your surgery you'll improve surgical outcomes, speed up recovery, and you could prevent prolapse happening again.
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.
Invented, designed and proudly manufactured in Great Britain to ensure the highest quality and safety for all your medical needs.
References
- Brækken, I. H., Majida, M., Engh, M. E., & Bø, K. (2010). Can pelvic floor muscle training reverse pelvic organ prolapse and reduce prolapse symptoms? An assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled trial. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 203(2), 170-e1