Many women who have a pelvic prolapse experience no symptoms and require no treatment. If your symptoms are bothersome or disrupting your life, there are various options. Which treatment option is right for you will depend on factors such as which
organ(s) are affected, the nature and severity of your symptoms, whether you are considering having children, and your age. Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, using a pessary or surgery.

Lifestyle Changes

Many women find that lifestyle changes can help relieve their symptoms. These lifestyle changes include:

• doing Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor
• eating high-fibre foods to avoid constipation
• reducing the amount of coffee and caffeinated beverages consumed and drinking more water
• avoiding heavy lifting

Pessaries

Another non-surgical option for treating pelvic prolapse is a pessary. A pessary is a device that is inserted into the vagina to support the prolapsed uterus or bladder and prevent symptoms such as urinary incontinence and pelvic pain. The device can increase the tightness of the pelvic muscles. It can be used as a temporary or permanent treatment. It is generally less useful for women with a rectocele or severe prolapse.

Pessaries are made of plastic or silicone. They often look a lot like either a diaphragm or a doughnut, although they come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

A pessary must be fitted by a health-care professional. Once fitted, you can remove and insert the device yourself. Your doctor will show you how to do this. The same pessary can be kept in the vagina for up to three months, but ideally, should be removed and cleaned regularly. How often you need to clean your pessary will depend on the type of prolapse you have and the type of pessary you are using. Many types can remain in place during sexual intercourse. Silicone pessaries can last for up to five years.

A pessary does have a number of potential drawbacks and risks, although many women who use pessaries do not have any problems. Even with careful cleaning, a pessary can increase your risk of infection, and may cause irritation or ulceration of the vaginal wall, especially if it does not fit correctly. Some women report a foul-smelling discharge. Pessaries can also interfere with sexual activity. Your health-care professional should check your pessary regularly to ensure that it fits you properly.

Surgery

The primary treatment for pelvic prolapse is surgery. You can learn more about the surgeries used to treat prolapse using the link below. If you are contemplating surgery for a prolapse, you may also want to read Making Decisions about Surgery.