My Uterus Is Going to Fall Out!

“Heaviness”

“Pressure”

“I feel like my organs are going to just fall out”

I PROMISE your uterus will not just fall out while you are walking down the street!

Many women can experience some increase in laxity of their pelvic floor following childbirth, with statistics indicating upwards of 50-60% of women have some degree of pelvic organ prolapse after having a vaginal delivery. However, many of these women will never experience any negative symptoms associated with this physical change.

Interestingly, it’s not just vaginal delivery that can lead to pelvic organ prolapse. This condition is also common in individuals who experience repetitive increases in intra-abdominal pressure - such as people with a chronic cough (emphysema, COPD, asthma), people with connective tissue disorders (Ehlor’s Danlos, hyper laxity of joints), chronic constipation, or lifting heavy weights repetitively (jobs that require heavy lifting, strength training with heavy weights).

No matter how the laxity in your pelvic floor structures got there, your local pelvic floor physical therapist can help evaluate your symptoms and help you overcome the symptoms you may be experiencing. I PROMISE your uterus will not just fall out one day while you are walking down the street. I can absolutely understand the description of feeling “heaviness or pressure down there.” I can also understand how it can feel as though you might just lose some organs if you’re experiencing significant laxity in your pelvic floor tissues. One of the first things we will cover in pelvic floor physical therapy is some of the anatomy involved in keeping your internal organs IN YOUR BODY.

Pelvic floor physical therapy can help you learn how to use proper breathing techniques to decrease strain on your pelvic floor. We can help you manage chronic constipation and improve your potty posture to decrease strain to the pelvic floor. There are lots of options to help you manage any symptoms from prolapse that you are experiencing. Your pelvic floor physical therapist can recommend products to help support your pelvic organs if needed, or send you to the appropriate specialists if further interventions such as a pessary (medical device worn inside the vagina to help support the internal organs - these are individually fitted by a urogynecologist typically) or if surgery is recommended.

If you are feeling like your organs are falling out, or having heaviness/pressure “down there” - give us a call at Shift Physical Therapy!

Written by: Renee Hancock, Pelvic Floor Specialist