When Is Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery Considered? After Pessaries and Pelvic Floor Therapy

Ruth kept a folded hand towel in her handbag. Not for spills. On long afternoons, when the dragging feeling low in her pelvis became a bulge she could feel against her underwear, she would slip into a restroom, sit down, and let gravity ease off for ten minutes. She had done the exercises. She had worn a pessary for two years. The question she finally typed into her phone one evening was blunt: when is prolapse surgery considered, and how do you know you have reached that point?

Most women who ask that question have already worked hard. They have learned where their pelvic floor is, squeezed on cue, adjusted a silicone ring, and rearranged their days around a body part they never used to think about. So the answer deserves honesty rather than reassurance.

This article walks through what the evidence actually says about the moment conservative care stops being enough, what the operations involve, what they cannot fix, and how to prepare for the conversation that decides it.

When is prolapse surgery considered? The short version

Surgery enters the conversation when three things line up. First, the prolapse is causing symptoms that genuinely interfere with life: a visible or palpable bulge, pelvic heaviness, difficulty emptying the bladder or bowel, or discomfort during sex. Second, conservative options have been given a fair trial. Third, the woman herself wants a structural repair and understands what it can and cannot deliver.

Notice what is missing from that list: the stage of the prolapse on its own. Guidance from the NHS and Mayo Clinic is consistent on this point. A woman with a modest prolapse that makes her miserable may be a reasonable surgical candidate, while a woman with a more advanced prolapse who is comfortable with a pessary may never need an operation. Prolapse is treated because it bothers you, not because a diagram says it should.

The phrase “fair trial” also matters. Pelvic floor muscle training is not a two-week experiment. UK guidance referenced by the NHS recommends a supervised program lasting at least 16 weeks before judging whether it has worked. Pessaries deserve a similar patience, including at least one refit if the first size or shape does not sit well.

There is one more trigger that pushes surgery up the list: a change in kidney or bladder function linked to the prolapse, such as needing to push the bulge back to pass urine, or repeated urinary infections traced to incomplete emptying. Here the calculation shifts from comfort toward protecting organ function, and clinicians will usually move faster.

Everything else in this piece expands on those three conditions, because each of them hides a decision worth making deliberately.

What pelvic organ prolapse actually is, in plain language

Pelvic organ prolapse means one or more of the organs in the pelvis, most often the bladder, uterus, or rectum, has slipped down from its usual position and is pressing into or out of the vagina. The support system holding those organs is the pelvic floor: a hammock of muscles and connective tissue slung between the pubic bone at the front and the tailbone at the back. When that hammock stretches or tears, things sag into the space it used to hold up.

Clinicians divide prolapse by which wall of the vagina is giving way. A bulge from the front wall usually involves the bladder (a cystocele). A bulge from the back wall usually involves the rectum (a rectocele). Descent of the uterus, or of the top of the vagina after a hysterectomy, is called apical prolapse. Many women have more than one at the same time, which is one reason a single “fix” is rarely as simple as it sounds.

Severity is graded on a standardized exam called the POP-Q, short for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification. It runs from stage 0 (no descent) to stage 4 (the organ has turned fully outward). Stage 2 sits near the vaginal opening, stage 3 protrudes clearly beyond it. Cleveland Clinic notes that prolapse is common and often mild, and that many women with lower stages have no symptoms at all.

The main risk factors, according to Mayo Clinic and MedlinePlus, are vaginal childbirth, particularly of larger babies or with instrumental delivery, ageing and the drop in estrogen after menopause, long-term straining from constipation or chronic cough, heavy lifting, higher body weight, and inherited differences in connective tissue. None of these are moral failings. Prolapse is a mechanical problem in tissue that has been asked to do a lot.

Why pessaries and pelvic floor therapy come first

The order of treatment is not bureaucratic caution. It reflects the evidence that a large share of women get meaningful relief without an operation, and that surgery carries risks a pessary does not.

Pelvic floor muscle training, sometimes called Kegel exercises, aims to strengthen and coordinate the muscles that lift the pelvic organs. Done properly, under a pelvic health physiotherapist who checks technique by examination, it can reduce symptoms in mild to moderate prolapse and may slow progression, according to NHS guidance. It cannot pull a stage 3 organ back to where it started. What it can do is change how heavy the bulge feels day to day and how well the bladder and bowel empty.

A pessary is a removable silicone device placed in the vagina to hold prolapsed tissue in position, much as an internal shelf. Rings, dishes, and cubes are the common shapes. The NHS describes pessaries as suitable for women at any stage who want to avoid or delay surgery, including women planning further pregnancies and those for whom anesthesia carries extra risk. A fitting may take two or three attempts. Some women manage their own removal and cleaning; others return to a clinic for checks and replacement every few months, as the NHS outlines.

Both options share an underrated advantage: they are reversible. If a pessary is uncomfortable, it comes out. Surgery rearranges anatomy permanently, and any second operation is harder than the first.

Low-dose vaginal estrogen, prescribed for some postmenopausal women, works by thickening and moisturizing vaginal tissue rather than by lifting anything. It is often used alongside a pessary to reduce irritation. Whether it is appropriate, and for how long, is a decision for the prescribing clinician.

Can stage 3 prolapse be fixed without surgery?

The honest answer is: it depends on what “fixed” means. If it means restoring the anatomy so that nothing hangs below the vaginal opening without a device in place, then no, exercises will not achieve that at stage 3. Muscle training builds support; it does not shorten ligaments that have already lengthened.

If “fixed” means living comfortably, working, exercising, and having sex without a bulge dominating the day, then many women with stage 3 prolapse do achieve that with a well-fitted pessary. Mayo Clinic and the NHS both list pessaries as a first-line option regardless of stage. The device does the mechanical job the ligaments used to do. Take it out and the prolapse returns; leave it in and, for many women, the symptoms recede.

Where non-surgical management tends to struggle is with the very advanced end of the spectrum. A stage 4 prolapse, where the vagina has fully turned outward, is harder to retain with a pessary because there is little tissue to hold it in place, and the exposed lining can develop ulcers. Even here, some women choose a pessary for medical reasons, but the balance tips more clearly toward surgery.

Two practical realities shape the stage 3 decision. A pessary requires ongoing care: fittings, checks, occasional discharge or irritation, and, for women who cannot self-manage, regular appointments for life. Some women find that entirely acceptable. Others, especially those in their fifties and sixties looking at decades ahead, would rather have one operation and a recovery than an indefinite maintenance schedule.

Neither view is wrong. The point is that stage 3 does not automatically mean surgery, and it does not automatically mean a pessary. It means a choice, and the choice belongs to the woman making it.

What actually happens in prolapse surgery: the main operations

Prolapse operations fall into three broad families, and understanding them makes every later conversation easier.

The first is native tissue repair through the vagina. The surgeon makes an incision in the vaginal wall, pushes the sagging organ back, and stitches the woman’s own connective tissue together to reinforce the weak spot. An anterior repair addresses a bladder bulge; a posterior repair addresses a rectal bulge. For uterine descent, the uterus may be removed (a vaginal hysterectomy) or preserved and stitched to strong ligaments higher in the pelvis, an approach called hysteropexy. No synthetic material is used inside the vagina.

The second family is apical suspension from above, most commonly sacrocolpopexy. Here the surgeon, working through small abdominal incisions with a laparoscope or robotic instruments, attaches the top of the vagina to the ligament covering the tailbone using a strip of surgical mesh. The mesh acts as a permanent artificial ligament. Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins describe this as a common approach for vault prolapse after hysterectomy and for women wanting a durable repair.

The third is obliterative surgery, chiefly colpocleisis. The vaginal walls are stitched together so that the vagina is closed and the organs can no longer descend. It is a shorter operation with a quicker recovery, considered only for women who are certain they do not want future vaginal intercourse, and often chosen by older women with significant medical conditions, according to Mayo Clinic.

Most of these are done under general or regional anesthesia. The NHS notes a typical hospital stay of one to three days, though same-day discharge is increasingly common for vaginal repairs. Surgeons frequently combine procedures, repairing two compartments at once, or adding a mid-urethral sling if stress incontinence is expected afterward.

Is fixing a prolapse a big operation? Is prolapse surgery major surgery?

Yes, in the sense that matters: it involves anesthesia, an incision, altered anatomy, and several weeks of restricted activity. No, in the sense that many people fear: it is not open-heart surgery, and most women go home within a day or two.

A useful way to think about the scale is by approach. A single-compartment vaginal repair is comparable in recovery to other day-case gynecological surgery. A laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy involves abdominal entry and gas inflation, which brings its own soreness and shoulder-tip pain for a day or two, but the small incisions heal quickly. An operation that combines hysterectomy, apical suspension, and two compartment repairs is a longer procedure with a correspondingly longer recovery, even though each component is routine.

The NHS gives a broad frame: most women need around six weeks off work, longer if the job is physically demanding, and are advised to avoid heavy lifting and vigorous exercise for at least that long while the tissues knit. Mayo Clinic gives similar advice. That is the true measure of “big”: not the hours in theatre, but the weeks of protecting a repair that depends on healing tissue rather than bone.

Where the operation earns its serious reputation is in the fact that it is elective, permanent, and imperfect. Elective, because you can always choose not to. Permanent, because the anatomy is changed for good. Imperfect, because prolapse can recur, and because the surgery addresses the bulge while sometimes unmasking or creating bladder and bowel symptoms that were not there before.

So the fair framing is this: it is a moderate operation with a meaningful recovery, best undertaken by a woman who has had time to weigh what she is trading for what.

Who is usually offered surgery, and when is prolapse surgery considered too soon?

The typical surgical candidate has symptomatic prolapse, has genuinely tried pelvic floor therapy and usually a pessary, is not planning further pregnancies, and is fit enough for anesthesia. She has clear goals: to be rid of the bulge, to stop having to splint or reposition tissue to empty her bladder or bowel, to return to sport, or simply to stop thinking about it.

Women more often asked to wait, or steered away from surgery, fall into a few groups. Those planning another pregnancy are usually advised to defer, because childbirth can undo a repair; the NHS is explicit that pessaries are the preferred option here. Women with mild prolapse and few symptoms are generally not offered surgery, because the risks are not justified by the potential gain. Women with significant heart, lung, or clotting conditions may be better served by a pessary, or by the shorter obliterative operation if surgery is chosen at all.

Surgery is also considered too soon when the trial of conservative care has been half-hearted. Three weeks of unsupervised squeezes and one uncomfortable pessary fitting do not constitute a fair test. Most urogynecology teams will want to see a supervised physiotherapy course and at least one pessary refit before agreeing that the conservative route has been exhausted.

The decision is also shaped by what accompanies the prolapse. Women with coexisting stress incontinence may be offered urodynamics, a bladder pressure test, before surgery to plan whether a continence procedure should be added. Women whose main complaint is bowel dysfunction may be referred for bowel assessment first, because a posterior repair does not always resolve constipation that has other causes.

In every case, the timing is a shared decision. A good team will explain what waiting costs, and what it does not.

Pessary vs surgery for prolapse: comparing the options side by side

Laid out together, the trade-offs become clearer. The table below summarizes what mainstream guidance from the NHS, Mayo Clinic, and Cleveland Clinic says about each path. It is a map, not a recommendation; the right row for one woman is the wrong row for another.

Option	What it does	Usually suits	Main drawbacks	Reversible?
Pelvic floor muscle training	Strengthens muscular support; eases symptoms in mild to moderate prolapse	Stage 1–2, anyone as a foundation	Needs supervision and months of effort; does not restore anatomy at advanced stages	Yes
Vaginal pessary	Holds organs in position mechanically	Any stage; women avoiding or delaying surgery; those planning pregnancy	Ongoing fitting and care; discharge or irritation in some; may not stay in at stage 4	Yes
Native tissue vaginal repair	Stitches the woman’s own tissue to reinforce weak walls, with or without hysterectomy	Anterior, posterior, or uterine prolapse in women fit for anesthesia	Recurrence over time; possible pain or narrowing; new bladder or bowel symptoms	No
Sacrocolpopexy (abdominal, with mesh)	Suspends the vaginal apex to the tailbone ligament with a mesh strip	Apical or vault prolapse; women wanting a durable repair	Abdominal surgery; mesh-related complications, though less common than with vaginal mesh	No
Colpocleisis (obliterative)	Closes the vaginal canal so organs cannot descend	Women not wanting future intercourse; often older or medically frail	Ends vaginal intercourse permanently	No

Two things stand out. Every non-surgical row can be abandoned without consequence; every surgical row cannot. And no row promises a permanent, complication-free result. Cochrane systematic reviews summarized by the NHS and Mayo Clinic report that some women require repeat surgery over the years following any prolapse operation. That is not a reason to avoid surgery. It is a reason to enter it with clear eyes.

What is the disadvantage of prolapse surgery? Risks in plain terms

Every operation carries the general risks of anesthesia, bleeding, infection, and blood clots in the legs or lungs. Prolapse surgery adds a set of specific ones that are worth naming plainly, because they shape the decision more than the general list does.

Recurrence is the first. The tissue being repaired is the same tissue that failed once, and the forces that caused the prolapse (gravity, straining, ageing) continue. Mayo Clinic and the NHS both state that prolapse can come back after surgery, sometimes in the same compartment and sometimes in a different one because support has been redistributed. Reported rates vary widely between studies and operations, which is why a surgeon’s honest answer to “will it come back?” is “it might.”

Bladder change is the second. Lifting a prolapsed bladder can unmask stress incontinence that the kink in the urethra was hiding. Conversely, some women have trouble emptying fully for a period after surgery and need a catheter for days or occasionally weeks. Bowel habits can shift after posterior repair.

Sexual function is the third. Most women report no worsening and many report improvement once the bulge is gone, but a minority experience pain with intercourse, particularly after repairs that shorten or narrow the vagina. Colpocleisis ends vaginal intercourse by design.

Injury to the bladder, bowel, or ureters during surgery is uncommon but recognized, and mesh carries its own risks, discussed in the next section.

The final disadvantage is less clinical: surgery closes options. After a repair, a pessary may no longer fit well, and any second operation is technically harder. None of this argues against surgery. It argues for choosing it deliberately, for the right symptoms, after the alternatives have had their turn.

What changed with mesh, and what it means for your decision

Few words unsettle women researching prolapse more than “mesh,” and the confusion is understandable because the term covers two very different things.

Transvaginal mesh refers to synthetic sheets placed through the vagina to reinforce the front or back wall. These products were widely used for a period and were then linked to a pattern of complications: mesh erosion through the vaginal skin, chronic pain, pain during sex, and infection, some of which proved difficult to correct. Regulators in the United States and the United Kingdom subsequently restricted or halted their routine use for prolapse, and the NHS now advises that vaginal mesh for prolapse should be offered only in exceptional circumstances after detailed discussion. Many surgeons no longer use it at all.

Abdominal mesh, used in sacrocolpopexy, is a different matter. Here a narrow strip is attached from the top of the vagina to the ligament over the tailbone, entirely inside the abdomen rather than against the vaginal wall. Complication rates are lower than with transvaginal placement, and the operation remains a standard option for apical prolapse in mainstream guidance from Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Mayo Clinic. It still carries a small risk of mesh exposure or erosion, and that risk should be part of the consent conversation.

Mid-urethral slings for incontinence are also made of mesh and are sometimes added to prolapse surgery. They too have been the subject of regulatory review in some countries, and any woman offered one deserves a specific explanation of why.

For your decision, the practical questions are simple. Will any synthetic material be used? Where exactly will it sit? What are the alternatives without it? A surgeon who answers those three questions clearly, and volunteers the trade-offs, is giving you what you need.

How painful is prolapse surgery recovery? Prolapse surgery recovery time, week by week

Most women describe the pain as more of an ache and pressure than sharp agony, worst in the first two to three days and then steadily easing. Vaginal repairs tend to produce a bruised, heavy sensation in the perineum, made worse by sitting on hard surfaces. Laparoscopic operations add abdominal tenderness around the incisions and, for a day or two, referred pain in the shoulder from the gas used to inflate the abdomen. Pain relief is prescribed by the surgical team and tailored to the operation; how much and for how long is their call, not a fixed rule.

The NHS and Mayo Clinic sketch a broadly similar timeline. In the first days, expect a catheter for at least a few hours, sometimes overnight, and a vaginal pack that is removed before discharge. Light bloody discharge is normal and can continue on and off for several weeks; a brownish increase around two weeks often marks stitches dissolving.

By the end of the first week, most women are walking around the house, showering, and managing stairs. Constipation is the enemy of a fresh repair, so fluids, fiber, and any prescribed stool softener matter as much as rest.

Weeks two to six are about protecting the repair while tissue strengthens. The NHS advises no heavy lifting (think a full grocery bag as the ceiling), no vigorous exercise, and nothing in the vagina, including tampons and intercourse, for roughly six weeks or until reviewed. Driving resumes when an emergency stop is comfortable, typically within a couple of weeks.

Return to work is usually around six weeks for desk jobs and longer for physical ones. Full internal healing takes closer to three months, which is why many surgeons say the true test of the repair comes at the three-month check rather than the six-week one. Fatigue often outlasts pain; that is normal and not a sign anything has gone wrong.

What people often get wrong about prolapse surgery

“If it is stage 3, surgery is inevitable.” Stage describes where the tissue sits, not how a woman feels or what she should do. Plenty of women with stage 3 prolapse manage happily with a pessary for years; the NHS and Mayo Clinic both treat pessaries as suitable at any stage.

“A hysterectomy is the operation for prolapse.” Removing the uterus does not, by itself, fix support. Modern guidance emphasizes reattaching the top of the vagina to something strong, whether the uterus is kept or removed. Hysteropexy, which preserves the uterus, is an established option.

“Once repaired, it is fixed for life.” Prolapse can recur. The tissues remain the tissues, and the forces on them continue. Good surgery reduces the odds; it does not abolish them.

“All mesh is dangerous.” Transvaginal mesh has been largely withdrawn because of complications. Abdominal mesh in sacrocolpopexy carries a lower risk profile and remains standard. The distinction is anatomical, not marketing.

“Kegels are pointless if I am having surgery anyway.” Pelvic floor training before and after surgery supports the repair and helps with bladder control. Surgeons frequently ask women to continue it.

“Surgery will fix my incontinence too.” Sometimes. Sometimes it reveals incontinence the prolapse was masking. That is why preoperative bladder assessment matters.

“I am too old for surgery.” Age alone is not a barrier. Fitness for anesthesia and personal goals matter more, and the shorter obliterative operation exists precisely for women with more medical conditions who are done with vaginal intercourse.

“I caused this by not exercising enough.” Childbirth, genetics, and menopause carry most of the weight. Self-blame has no place in this decision.

Questions to ask your care team

The consultation where surgery is proposed is often short and dense. Walking in with questions written down changes its character from a briefing into a discussion. These are the ones urogynecology teams tend to welcome, because they show a patient who understands what she is choosing.

• Which compartments are prolapsed, and which operation addresses each one? Will you repair more than one at the same time?
• Have I genuinely exhausted the non-surgical options, or is there a pessary type or a supervised physiotherapy course I have not tried?
• Will you use any synthetic mesh? If so, where will it sit, and what is the alternative without it?
• Do you recommend removing or preserving my uterus, and why?
• Should I have bladder testing first? What is the chance that surgery unmasks incontinence, and would you add a continence procedure?
• How might this operation affect sex, and what can be done if it causes pain afterward?
• If the prolapse comes back, what would the next step be, and how does this operation affect those options?
• What does a realistic recovery look like for my job and my home situation? Who helps with lifting for six weeks?
• What symptoms after surgery should make me phone straight away?
• What happens if I decide to do nothing for another year?

That last question is not defiance. It is the single most useful thing to know, because it separates “surgery is reasonable now” from “surgery is necessary now.” For most women with prolapse the honest answer is that waiting carries discomfort but little danger, and that knowledge alone can make the decision feel like a choice rather than a deadline.

Bring someone with you if you can. Two sets of ears catch more, and a second person can ask the question you were too polite to raise.

When to call your doctor

Prolapse itself is rarely an emergency, but certain changes, before or after surgery, need prompt attention. Contact your doctor or seek urgent care if you experience any of the following.

Before surgery, or while using a pessary: inability to pass urine, or needing to push the bulge back in to empty your bladder; blood in the urine or unexplained vaginal bleeding, particularly after menopause; a pessary that cannot be removed, or bleeding, foul-smelling discharge, or pain associated with it; a prolapsed organ that has become swollen, dark, painful, or cannot be pushed back, which can indicate the tissue is losing blood supply; fever with pelvic pain or repeated urinary infections.

After surgery: heavy bleeding that soaks a pad within an hour or contains large clots; fever, chills, or a wound that becomes red, hot, or leaks pus; severe or worsening abdominal or pelvic pain that pain relief does not touch; inability to pass urine for several hours, or a full, painful bladder; a swollen, painful calf, or sudden breathlessness or chest pain, which can signal a blood clot; persistent vomiting or a bloated, silent abdomen; and, in the weeks that follow, a return of the bulge, or exposed stitches or mesh you can feel or that your partner reports.

The NHS and Mayo Clinic both list these as warning signs warranting review rather than waiting for the routine follow-up. Your surgical team will give you a direct contact number for the first weeks; use it. A phone call that turns out to be nothing is exactly what that number is for. Decisions about what any of these signs mean, and what to do about them, rest with the clinicians who know your case.

Frequently asked questions

When is prolapse surgery considered instead of continuing with a pessary?

Surgery is usually considered when a pessary is not relieving symptoms, will not stay in place, causes ongoing discharge or irritation, or when a woman decides she does not want indefinite device care. It is also considered when prolapse is affecting bladder emptying or causing recurrent infections. The decision is shared between the woman and her treating team and is never dictated by stage alone.

Is prolapse surgery major surgery?

It is moderate rather than minor. Most operations take one to a few hours under general or regional anesthesia, and the NHS reports a typical hospital stay of one to three days, with some vaginal repairs done as day cases. The bigger commitment is afterward: around six weeks of restricted lifting and activity while the repair heals, longer for physically demanding jobs.

Can stage 3 prolapse be managed without surgery?

Often, yes. A well-fitted pessary can hold a stage 3 prolapse in position and relieve symptoms for years, and both the NHS and Mayo Clinic list pessaries as suitable at any stage. Exercises alone will not restore anatomy at this stage but can improve how the bulge feels. Whether to continue non-surgically or operate is a personal decision made with your clinician.

What is the disadvantage of prolapse surgery?

The main disadvantages are that prolapse can recur, that anatomy is changed permanently, and that bladder or bowel symptoms can appear or change afterward, including stress incontinence that the prolapse was masking. A minority of women experience pain with intercourse. General surgical risks such as infection, bleeding, and blood clots also apply. Your surgeon should discuss each of these in relation to your specific operation.

How painful is prolapse surgery recovery?

Most women describe an aching, heavy pressure rather than sharp pain, worst in the first two to three days and easing steadily over one to two weeks. Laparoscopic operations add abdominal soreness and brief shoulder-tip pain from the gas used. Pain relief is prescribed by the surgical team and adjusted to the operation performed. Fatigue often lasts longer than pain, which is normal.

What is the prolapse surgery recovery time before returning to normal life?

The NHS advises around six weeks before returning to most jobs and resuming lifting, exercise, and intercourse, with review by the surgical team first. Walking and light household tasks usually resume within the first week or two. Full internal healing takes closer to three months, which is why many surgeons assess the repair properly at the three-month visit rather than the six-week one.

Pessary vs surgery for prolapse: which has better long-term results?

They answer different questions. A pessary controls symptoms for as long as it is worn and requires ongoing care but carries almost no serious risk and is fully reversible. Surgery aims to restore anatomy without a device but can be followed by recurrence and carries operative risks. Mainstream guidance does not declare one superior; it depends on symptoms, health, plans for pregnancy, and personal preference.

Does prolapse surgery always include a hysterectomy?

No. Removing the uterus does not by itself restore support, and many surgeons now offer uterus-preserving operations such as hysteropexy, which stitches or suspends the uterus to strong ligaments. Hysterectomy may still be recommended for other reasons, such as abnormal bleeding or a particularly large uterus. Ask your surgeon specifically why removal or preservation is being proposed in your case.

Is mesh still used in prolapse surgery?

Transvaginal mesh placed against the vaginal wall has been largely withdrawn in the US and UK because of complications such as erosion and chronic pain, and the NHS advises it only in exceptional circumstances. Abdominal mesh used in sacrocolpopexy, attached inside the pelvis from the vaginal apex to the tailbone ligament, remains a standard option with a lower complication profile. Always ask whether and where mesh would be used.

Can prolapse come back after surgery?

Yes. Mayo Clinic and the NHS both state that prolapse can recur after any repair, either in the same compartment or a different one, because the underlying tissue weakness and the forces of gravity, straining, and ageing continue. Reported rates vary widely between operations and studies. Continuing pelvic floor exercises, avoiding constipation and heavy straining, and maintaining a healthy weight are commonly advised to reduce the risk.

References

• NHS: Pelvic organ prolapse, treatment
• Cleveland Clinic: Pelvic organ prolapse
• MedlinePlus: Pelvic floor disorders

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.