Pelvic Organ Prolapse: More than 50% of all women will experience it at some stage.
Do you know what it is and what you can do about it?
I'm on a mission to share information and education about women's bodies and hormones and how to achieve safe and beneficial exercise. Through studying with Mish Wright, I gained access to some eye-opening (and eye-watering!) information that I'd never learned before; as a woman OR a fitness professional. I want to share what I now know with you.
What is pelvic organ prolapse (POP)?
Essentially, a prolapse is when something falls out of place. So, a pelvic organ prolapse is when the bladder, uterus or rectum (or all three) move out of place and may move as far as falling through the opening of the vagina. Men also have a pelvic floor and can experience prolapse, but I'm just speaking to the women today.
Signs of pelvic organ prolapse
Leaking can be a common sign of POP. Incontinence is something you probably don't want to think about, let alone talk about, even with your closest friends. But we need to. It's common, but through lack of discussion and access to information, women often accept these complaints as "part of being a woman".
So what makes us leak? There can be many reasons for incontinence, of which childbirth is only one. Other reasons could be:
Pregnancy
Age
Menopause and post-menopause
Obesity or being overweight
High-intensity exercise
Coughing
Surgery
Birth Trauma
Stress
Other signs or symptoms of POP
You may experience any one of the following:
Heaviness or dragging sensation in your pelvis
Feeling a drop in internal organs
A lump felt outside the vagina
Pelvic pain
Inability to void completely (urine + fecal)
Painful sex or reduced sexual pleasure
It's important to note that you won't necessarily feel any pain initially; however, you may register these sensations. And if you think you're past your childbearing years and you've made it without any problems, think again! Many women will experience POP when they enter peri-menopause and the associated changing hormone cycle. How annoying, right?
What you can do about it
Prevention is always better than cure.
One of the simplest ways is to learn how to complete a pelvic floor exercise correctly.
How to exercise your pelvic floor
1) Find your pelvic floor muscles! The simplest way to identify them is to stop a wee in the middle of your stream. That's them.
2) Once familiar with the sensation, practice those squeezes without being on the loo.
3) Sit up tall with your spine straight and shoulder blades back and practice the contraction.
Your posture will significantly affect how good these exercises feel (yes, they feel good!); over time, you'll be able to complete them with little effort.
Get advice from a professional
Book an appointment with a women's pelvic floor physiotherapist trained to advise you on your situation. Recognising that fitness professionals cannot diagnose or fix this issue is essential.
Educate yourself.
Women are unique, strong, and resilient, but we do put up with a LOT.
Education and awareness is the key. You can take the same course I did to learn more about your own body in a series of friendly online videos you can watch in your own time.
Choose your fitness professional wisely.
Exercise professionals can accidentally push men and women to prolapse. No information about prolapse is contained in Certificate 3 or 4 of fitness. Ask if they have completed any extra training specifically around women's fitness.
Women's health revolution
I'm championing a revolution in women's understanding of their bodies because, for too long, women have been advised on exercise based on being 'small men'. Nothing could be further from the truth when considering women's physiological and hormonal differences.
Women CAN train and exercise as men do; there are some differences you need to be aware of that your personal trainer may not even know.
A revolution in women’s health
Take the online course.
I've partnered with Mish to bring you an online course to assist in learning about your own body. You'll hear from an authentic woman who will make you laugh out loud with her honesty. You can join Mish's course through my unique link and understand more about topics like incontinence, periods, pregnancy and menopause, to name a few!
Understanding our bodies has been almost impossible because our bodies have been shrouded in mystery. Older women were never taught, and the specialists we asked to help us needed better training. This course can be completed in your own time, online. It will arm you with a tremendous understanding no matter what part of the life cycle you are experiencing right now.