my cervix is hanging down into my vagina... i am an older woman and have had 3 births but i am concerned about this recent development. can some one talk with me about it? thank you
October 13, 2009 - 9:28am
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cindcurran,
Can you tell us more about your condition, and when it was first diagnosed? What information did your doctor provide?
hello, thanks for your reply. I have not been diagnosed yet. i have a gyn appointment next wednesday. I just noticed the condition in the past couple weeks as i was a little uncomfortable when walking or sitting. I am not in pain at all. I gave birth to 3 health children vaginally... the youngest is now 22 years old. i am not in menopause either! i have gone through years of heavy bleeding and have been seen by a gyn for that condition. i was put on provera for a while but mostly i have just taken iron supplements and put up with the all the blood. For some reason it has gotten better this past year and my periods are more of a normal status... 7-10days of normal bleeding. I have had several uterine biopsies in the past few years to rule out more severe problems that might be causing my heavy periods but everything is reported to be fine.
that is all the history i can think of.
is there a procedure that can tuck the cervix back up into the cavity? thanks for your help
Hi, Cindcurren,
I'm sorry you're dealing with this condition! And very glad you are seeing a doctor to ask about it.
While you're not in menopause, do you and your doctor believe you're in perimenopause? That's the years before menopause. You are still having periods, but your hormones are fluctuating and so your periods (and other symptoms surrounding them) can becoming irregular or unstable.
During the years of trying to rule out problems, did the doctors think to check your hormone levels (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) and your thyroid levels (T3, T4, TSH)? I ask because our hormones are responsible for so much of our health and proper functioning, especially when it comes to our reproductive organs.
First, here's a diagram of the vagina, cervix and uterus:
http://www.empowher.com/media/reference/reproductive-anatomy-and-physiology
As you can see, the cervix is just the lower part of the uterus. What you probably are experiencing is a cervical prolapse (sometimes part of a prolapsed uterus; sometimes also called pelvic organ prolapse). It often happens in women who have had children. You may be referred to a urologist, who may fit you with a pessary (a disc that the doctor inserts that holds the cervix and uterus in place). Surgery is also an option. Here is the Mayo Clinic's page on uterine prolapse. Be sure to click on the links down the side that include symptoms, causes, tests and treatment:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/uterine-prolapse/DS00700
Here's a direct link to their treatments page:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/uterine-prolapse/DS00700/DSECTION=treat...
Pelvic organ prolapse actually covers a wider range of prolapsed organs, including the bladder. Here's a page from the University of Michigan Health System explaining this:
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/umpelvicpro.htm
Here is a detailed page on the use of pessaries, from the American Academy of Family Physicians:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000501/2729ph.html
And here are diagrams of two kinds of passaries in their place in the body:
http://64.143.176.9/library/healthguide/en-us/support/topic.asp?hwid=zm5071
http://www.health.com/health/library/mdp/0,,zm5070,00.html
This is an article from one of EmpowHer's sponsors (Ethicon, which is a Johnson & Johnson company) that discusses some of their products used to repair prolapse and what to expect (note, the links on this page are also theirs):
http://www.empowher.com/providers/article/focus-one-treatment-pelvic-org...
Does this information help? And please come back and update us after your doctor's appointment!