I have been diagnosed with a rectocele which requires surgical repair. Everything I have read clearly states this type of vaginal prolapse, unlike others, often prevents a women's ability to have intercourse after surgery due to the amount of vaginal tissue removed during the repair. The shortened vagina prevents intercourse without severe pain post-op.
According to the statistics I available, I had less than a 2% chance of developing this condition. I am in my 50's, but began HRT as soon as my hormone levels dropped. I have never had children. The cause was severe constipation I suffered for several months in 2008 and 2009 while going through the trauma of ending a 23 year relationship. I had
lost my desire to eat, sleep, and exercise. A normal reaction to such a devastating loss.
A few times I experienced episodes of severe bleeding while trying to pass hard impacted stool. My doctor performed a sigmoidoscope and couldn't find anything. I used mild laxatives to regain normal bowel movements. Everything seemed to clear up, except I felt like I couldn't completely void and was forced to manually remove small stool left in the rectum. I planned to get a colonoscopy, but had my routine PAP exam. My doctor lifted the sheet to begin the exam and informed me immediately I had a rectocele, with a bulge
at the entrance of the vagina. Now I'm afraid to begin dating before I have the surgery.
but I'm afraid I will never experience a sexual relationship again. I feel like I should just learn to accept life without a partner.
Thank you for any information you can provide.