Hope my uterus

October 8, 2011 5:49 AM

Looking for non-surgical ways to stop/improve the condition of a uterine prolapse.

I'm looking at Whole Woman but it doesn't really address my specific situation. I'm 1 week postpartum, doing the whole bed rest thing on advice of my midwives, terrified that the (mild? moderate?) uterine prolapse I'm experiencing won't resolve on its own. I know the uterus continues to involute for 6 weeks after delivery, but what if those ligaments don't recover? Looking for resources/physiotherapists/etc in the Toronto area.

I know how to kegel, and I'm familiar with the pelvic-floor-as-hammock idea so I've been doing what I can to strengthen my glutes. Whole Woman advocates against reclining on soft furniture, as this tilts the pelvis backwards. Reclining on soft furniture is, um, exactly what bed rest consists of, so I'm kindof confused and mostly freaking out... have I been making this worse? Will I need a pessary for the rest of my life? I've been very active up until now, and the thought of not being able to lift heavy things or jump or run after my kids is monumentally depressing. Help me, Metafilter. Give me resources. Tell me stories about how YOUR uterine prolapse one day magically disappeared and now you're happier than ever.

posted by lizifer to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Best answer: Hey, it'll be fine. I just saw my midwife for a regular checkup and we talked about it. She said kegels are great and also core muscle strength exercises like yoga and pilates help a lot as well.

This won't stop you at all from running after your little one. You'll feel better and better each day during these first 6-weeks known as Baby Boot Camp. The things you need to concentrate on now are taking care of yourself - let yourself really rest and getting to know your new baby. Let other people do the housework or else just don't have the housework done.

Please don't worry about it - do the kegels - you can definitely do that with bed rest. And then do some yoga or another class when the baby is a bit older. It'll be nice to have some time to yourself then anyway.

good luck and feel free to memail me if you want to talk about any other baby/new mom stuff!
posted by dawkins_7 at 7:09 AM on October 8, 2011

oh, just thought of one more thing. A friend had a pretty bad prolapse and thought she was going to have to have surgery. But she started running and in about a year, it had totally resolved itself. So if you are a runner or have always wanted to be one, now's the time to start (of course after you rest and the midwife gives the ok).
posted by dawkins_7 at 7:23 AM on October 8, 2011

Once your 6 weeks are up, if you are still having prolapse issues, make an appointment with a uro-gynecologist. They may have some non-surgical options that could work for you.
posted by honeybee413 at 7:59 AM on October 8, 2011

A pessary may be helpful, if your doctor thinks so.

Be careful with surgical mesh.
posted by nicebookrack at 8:29 AM on October 8, 2011

Acupuncture can help. There are specific points on the body (located on the head) that help with prolapsed organs.

(I posted a comment here earlier, but it disappeared, so I'm reposting in case the disappearance was a digital error)
posted by dolce_voce at 6:31 AM on October 9, 2011