This post contains a lot of information that could be listed in the “too much” category (as in TMI). I’ll be talking about women’s health specifically as it relates to Bladder Prolapse so there will be words in this post like vagina and sex, so if those make you uncomfortable I suggest you wait until the next post when I share a Paleo Pumpkin Bread recipe , which will contain words like pre-heat and measure— safe for all audiences;-)
After posting about the discovery of what I think may be a prolapsed bladder last week, I started to officially freak out. How did this happen? How long will it last? What can I do about it? What will make it worse? If it gets worse will I need surgery? And the list of my freak-out questions goes on. But most of all I was wondering: Why didn’t I know about this before?And it seems that many of you have wondered the same thing. So in an effort to help us all, I decided to roll up my sleeves and do a little digging to find out the answer to all my “freak-out-questions.”
It started with a phone call to my midwife, I explained the symptoms to her and the first thing she said was: “You can stop freaking out.” She knows me too well-which is why I love her!
Source: WebMD.comtoo well-which is why I love her!
She went on to explain that after childbirth women are in a low-estrogen state which means the vaginal wall is lacking the hormones which help keep it firm and strong. Add to that, the fact that the tissues in the vagina experiences some serious trauma as the body of a little human pass through it. She assured me that with time it will probably take care of itself once estrogen levels rise and my body has had sufficient time to heal. She then chastised me for running when she had really only given me permission to “walk briskly.” I guess I took her permission to increase intensity and ran with it…quite literally. Walking briskly is practically running, right? No, Sarah it is NOT. Stupid me.
She assured me she would check it out next time I was in and if it was serious enough she would refer me to a physical therapist who specialized in women’s health. But in the mean time, take it easy! OK. OK. I get it.
So I got my How did this happen? question answered, but it left me wanting answers to my other questions.
How long will it last? The answer to this question varies based on the severity of each case. There are four different levels of prolapse, here they are as secribed by WebMD.com
- Grade 1 (mild): Only a small portion of the bladder droops into the vagina.
- Grade 2 (moderate): The bladder droops enough to be able to reach the opening of the vagina.
- Grade 3 (severe): The bladder protrudes from the body through the vaginal opening.
- Grade 4 (complete): The entire bladder protrudes completely outside the vagina; usually associated with other forms of pelvic organ prolapse (uterine prolapse, rectocele, enterocele).
For many women who suffer proplapse due to childbirth the symptoms subside with time as the tissue heals and as estrogen levels rise. But childbirth isn’t the only way a woman can experience prolapse, it can result from dropping estrogen levels during menopause. I won’t know how bad it is or how long I’ll be dealing with it until I have an appointment with my midwife. But I have a feeling it is somewhere between in the Grade 1-2 range. And now that I know what it is and can associated the symptoms with the prolapse I believe I had the same thing with my first pregnancy but ignored it and ran/exercised through it (which has probably made it worse this time around). This may be a significant factor in my recovery time.
What can I do about it? It seems that physical therapy to strengthen the pelvic floor and supporting core muscles is the answer. Some more severe cases require surgery (lets hope this isn’t what I need). For now, I plan on performing the pelvic floor strengthening exercises that are in the Hab It DVD to help speed recovery. The DVD workouts incorporate kegels and other core strength movements that target the glutes, lower abdominal muscles and the hip adductors and abductors. If more serious physical therapy is needed then I’ll do that too.
What will make it worse? Running. Running will has made it worse. As will any aerobic exercise with a high impact. Heavy lifting is also discouraged as it puts stress on the pelvic floor. I also came across a list of ab/core exercises NOT to do and some of those exercises were ones I was doing! Apparently moves like leg raises, plank pose, hanging knee raises and crunches can put stress on the pelvic floor. I wish I had known this before because I would have avoided these activities postpartum. But exercises like the bird-dog and bridge are perfectly safe and encouraged. I’ve sworn off running and hard-core core training, but I have been riding a recumbent bike and doing light strength training (5lb dumbbells) while seated on the exercise ball. It seems that these activities are safe.
If it gets worse will I need surgery? It is possible, but I won’t know the answer until I see my midwife. But the feedback I’ve received from other sufferers of PFD and my midwife leads me to believe that physical therapy will be enough.
I turns out I’m not the only one either: 30-40% of women suffer some kind of Pelvic Floor Disorder (PFD). So clearly I’m not alone in my condition and probably not in my freak-out questions either. In fact this thread was recently posted on Run Like A Mother: The Book Facebook page:
What surprises me is how little information women seem to have on this topic. I heard no mention of PFD or organ prolapse in the birthing classes we took or in any of the books I read in preparation for my natural childbirth. And judging by the “TMI” label we all (myself included) keep using, as women we think it’s something we can’t discuss.
Want more information? Check out these links:
Hab-It Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Pelvic Floor Exercises YouTube Channel with Michelle Kenway
Why don’t more women know about PFD? And why are women so afraid to talk about it?
-Sarah
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical provider. The information in this post is not to be taken as medical advise. If you think you are suffering from PFD you should consult your physician.
Oh gosh, Sarah, I am finally catching up on blogs this week. I had no idea that you were dealing with this =( To be honest, I had never even heard of this before this post - and definitely had no idea that it was a common symptom of L&D. I know you are bummed that you can’t run right now and everyone is going to tell you to have patience and all of that. Trust me, I know how hard that is. Not running for those 6 weeks during pregnancy were BRUTAL for me. And it’s esp tough to see other people running (esp people that are in the same boat as you - aka just had a baby). Please know that I’m thinking about you and hope that the recovery is quick…we need to run a race together!!!
scanney says
It kinda sucks, but I have to accept full responsibility: I should not have been running…But now I totally can identify with your 6 weeks of not running! It is brutal, especially since, I feel now more than ever I need that time and space to clear my head. And yes!! I would love to run a race together!! A total must!
Interesting! I hadn’t heard of a prolapsed bladder either until I was reading your post from the other day! Hoping that your body will recover quickly. Enjoy your brisk walks! Just think- you already know that your body CAN pound the pavement for a couple of miles, and it will feel SO MUCH BETTER once your body is fully healed! Thanks for sharing and being so open though, I know lots of new mommas can probably relate!
Nikki says
I could tell you a few stories about prolapse! I too am an avid runner and after two v large babies 10+ lbs (both delivered naturally) I suffered some pretty severe prolapse and other problems. There is only so much the exercises can fix and you have to make sure you are doing them correctly. My best advice would be to seek out a pelvic floor physiotherapist as they will be able to guide you best on rehab. As for me, I had to have complete repair and reconstruction and will likely need more surgery as well. But can I run? You bet I can. Do I still suffer symptoms, I sure do but my quality of life has improved immensely since my surgeries. As for why we don’t know more about this? Well, the “baby-first” mentality of practitioners is part of it. Natural childbirth is great but personally I don’t think it should come at the expense of the mother’s day-to-day functioning. If they would have been clear on what my risks were going into both of my very difficult births, I would have chosen other means in a heartbeat to save myself all of the problems. I don’t believe we can be effective mothers if we’re worried about changing our own diapers too! Anyhow, I’ve gone on too long but if you want more information or need someone who has been through the same thing, I’m here.
scanney says
Nikki, I read your story on your blog and PFD is the least of some of the things you have had to recover from. Your story is inspiring! So good to know that you’re out there running:) I wish I had done more to strengthen my PF BEFORE childbirth. I think you are right about the mentality of practitioners. I just wish I had known more. And thanks for being open and offering your support! Means so much!
I agree with Nikki…if my midwives had told me in hour four of my seven hour push phase about the risk to my pelvic floor I might have reconsidered my aversion to interventions at that point. But then again, I’ve read that c-section moms can get prolapse too just from the weight of pregnancy, so who knows.
I’m hoping my symptoms go away again with time…did your docs give you a timeframe for running, Sarah? Or is it just a wait and see how you feel thing?
scanney says
I thought my appointment was this week but it’s not till the 20th. Until then I’m crossing my fingers and doing the hab it video on a daily basis. Maybe by the the I have my appointment it will be OK, but I doubt it. But I’m hoping for the best.
Lauren says
This is some great info! Having just had my first child 10 days ago and feeling antsy already, this is making me remind myself to CHILL OUT!
Thanks for taking the time to put all the info together!
scanney says
Congrats on you new little one! And take it easy! I wish I had allowed my body to fully recover, I’m so used to pushing myself: I should have not pushed my recovery.
Lisa says
Hi Sarah, I came across your blog trying to find information on PP Bladder Prolapse. Everything I have found sounds so daunting and I was wondering how your situation turned out. Thanks so much in advance. Lisa
Lisa, thanks for reading. After fearing the worst (that I ha a prolapsed bladder) I went to a women’s health PT and she said idid not. We stated working on strengthening everything down there and I returned to running and have been able to run mostly leak free since then. I sometimes leak if I run hard right before I get my period because the hormones cause laxity. But otherwise I don’t have any problems.
Katie says
Hi I have been reading your post about POP over and over again. I just had my first child - a sweet little girl - but my labor was long and I pushed for 3 hours. I thought I felt pretty good at 3.5 weeks pp and I did the same thing you did - I ran. Not much, like 2 miles, but I felt good running-wise. I noticed it felt funny in my vaginal area, but I assumed that was normal for just having had a baby. I am at 6 weeks pp and now I know this bulgy feeling in not right. I can’t believe my gyno did not notice it during my 4wk pelvic exam. That led me to believe I was fine, however, I know better now. After reading the symptoms of POP, I am sure I’ve got something prolapsing. I have immediately stopped running and exercising.
After reading online that I will probably never be able to run again, I am devastated. Running is such a huge part of me. I don’t believe it is my bladder since I have no leakage or trouble urinating. This leads me to believe it is my uterus. My symptoms are similar to the list you have above in that there is a bulge near the vaginal opening. Sorry if that is TMI, but I do have some questions pertaining to your diagnosis. If you don’t want to share that kind of info, I understand but I’ll ask just in case.
1) I am wondering what your diagnosis/grade was?
2) Did you have similar symptoms (aka a bulge)?
3) How long did it take for yours to “go away” to the point you were able to run again symptom free?
4) And lastly, I am breastfeeding currently and read estrogen is down at this time. After bf is done this may help alleviate the prolapse symptoms some. Did you experience anything like this?
FYI I did buy the Hab it DVD and wating for it to arrive. I see this happened to you years ago, so you must be doing something right! Way to go. You give me hope!