Uterine Prolapse - Know Risk Factors Of It!

Uterine prolapse is a disorder, which occurs when pelvic muscles weaken and thus, fail to support the uterus, causing the uterus to slip into or protrude from the vagina. Postmenopausal women with a history of multiple vaginal deliveries are the most vulnerable to this disorder. The pelvic muscles weaken due to the following reasons:

• Dip in the levels of estrogen
• Excessive strain
• Tissue damage resulting from childbirth and pregnancy

Common symptoms include a pulling sensation in the pelvic region, lower back pain, bowel problems, tissue protruding from the vagina, difficulty in urinating. The symptoms tend to worsen as the day progresses.

Causes

• Loss of muscle tone with increasing age
• Pregnancy
• Trauma during childbirth
• Weakening of the surrounding tissues in case of vaginal delivery
• Drop in the levels of estrogen post menopause

Apart from the cause, there are certain factors that increase the risks of this disorder, they are

• Increasing age
• Multiple pregnancies
• Lifting heavy weights frequently
• Any pelvic surgery
• Conditions such as chronic cough

Treatment available 

If the symptoms of uterine prolapse are mild, then you probably will not require any treatment. In case of any complication, the following treatment methods are available:

• Vaginal pessary: In this procedure, a device is inserted into the vagina, the function of which is to hold the uterus in place. This is only useful for moderate symptoms of uterine prolapse.
• Surgery: For severe cases, surgery is carried out to fix the damaged tissues of the vagina. It generally involves grafting of own body tissues, synthetic material or donor tissue on the pelvic muscles to provide support.

Hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus) may also be advised by the doctor. However, if one has plans of getting pregnant in the near future, should not go for this surgery as it can nullify its benefits. If future pregnancy is required then repair operation called Manchester repair is done.