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

I am 24 years old and have had a pessary for 3 years..I was pregnant once and lost it and ever since then Ive had to wear the pessary. While I cant feel it when its in and it DOESNT interfere with sexual intercourse I do have problems with my cervix protruding through the hole in the pessary. It is very uncomfortable and it pinches.7 months ago I had to be put under to get my cervix out from the holes in the pessary and I think its happening again. I dont want to have a hysterectomy because I want children in the next four years. I also have to have a C section and am in the midst of needing a kidney transplant. Now my doctor said I will be healthy and can have kids once the transplant is complete but my question is is there anyway to "pin" the cervix since I have to have a c section anyway and so I dont have to wear this pessary?????

-Tooyoungtohavethis

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:

https://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=treatments-and-drugs

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):

https://www.empowher.com/providers/article/focus-one-treatment-pelvic-organ-prolapse

Does this information help? And please come back and update us after your doctor's appointment!

cindcurran,

Can you tell us more about your condition, and when it was first diagnosed? What information did your doctor provide?