Help! My Uterus Fell Out
Whoever said women should age with grace clearly did not understand all the complexities and frustrations of losing your estrogen stores. Yes, hot flashes are annoying and sleeping less takes getting used to, but saggy pelvic organs are an entirely different beast.
The unglamorous truth is that as we age, our vaginas and uteri can fall out, well sort of. Estrogen, a hormone that aids in several important physiologic functions in the female body including bone building and temperature maintenance, also plays an important role in vaginal elasticity and pelvic muscle tone.
Low estrogen and a number of other risk factors like increasing age, obesity, chronic cough, heavy lifting and one or more vaginal births can increase the chances of uterine prolapse, or the sinking of the uterus from its normal position high in the pelvis down into the vagina.
Degrees of uterine prolapse can vary and so can the treatment options. For severe prolapse where the uterus descends all the way down to the bottom of the vagina, surgery might be a first choice treatment. For milder cases however, it's common for doctors to recommend pessary devices (imagine a diaphragm like plug high up in the vagina that holds everything in place) or do-it-yourself kegel exercises.
Made infamous by the schoolyard talk or whispers of its existence during middle school sex-ed courses, kegels are, in fact, a legitimate and well-supported approach to treating and preventing prolapse.
If performed correctly, kegels can tone and tighten the group of muscles (levator ani) that help keep the uterus, vagina, bladder and even lower rectum in place. The key to perfecting this exercise is to first recognize and isolate the right muscle group.
Most physicians recommend the "stop-peeing" technique where the same muscles used to stop the flow of urine are the ones to target. Then it's a matter of spending enough time on the exercise. The Mayo Clinic recommends starting at reps of three seconds each and eventually moving up to ten, ten-second kegels, three times a day.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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