Signs of Prolapse During Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings a significant increase in risk for pelvic organ prolapse, driven by hormonal shifts and the added physical demands on the pelvic floor as the baby grows. Relaxin, a hormone that rises during pregnancy, loosens the muscles and ligaments that support pelvic organs, which can allow those organs to shift and bulge into the vaginal wall.
Symptoms like heaviness, pressure, or a bulge in the vagina are common signs of prolapse, but they are often dismissed as a normal part of pregnancy. Knowing the difference between expected discomfort and something that warrants attention can help you get the right support sooner.
Pelvic floor physical therapy during pregnancy is one of the most effective ways to manage prolapse symptoms during pregnancy and prepare the body for birth. Whether you are already experiencing symptoms or want to get ahead of potential issues, working with a pelvic floor PT can make a meaningful difference.
During pregnancy, your body goes through a lot of changes, and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a diagnosis that you have an increased risk for developing.
I always make it a point to educate women that pain and discomfort during pregnancy doesn’t just have to be endured.
There are treatment options and devices that can alleviate your symptoms while your belly and baby grow.
What Pelvic Organ Prolapse Is
Pelvic organ prolapse is when there is muscular and/or ligamentous weakness around the organs in the pelvic floor including the uterus, bladder, rectum, and intestines.
This weakness of the muscles and connective tissue causes the organ affected to lower and bulge into the vagina.
How Pregnancy Affects the Pelvic Floor
Hormones are drastically changing during pregnancy to accommodate the physical changes that need to happen to grow a baby.
One of the hormones that increase during pregnancy is relaxin. Relaxin actually relaxes the tenons, muscles, and ligaments in the body to allow for stretching during pregnancy and birth. That can cause more movement of the organs that are supported by ligaments.
The pelvic floor naturally has to take on more load as baby grows as well. This can cause more fatigue of the pelvic floor muscles.
The body changes, and hormone fluctuations alone are risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse. The increased strain on the pelvic floor doesn't mean prolapse is unavoidable though.
Early Signs of Prolapse to Pay Attention To
Common prolapse symptoms include heaviness or pressure in the vagina. It can even feel like you are sitting on a golf ball.
Symptoms can be worse with straining or pushing to go to the bathroom, and standing for long periods.
You may feel or see a bulge, experience urinary incontinence, or find that you naturally want to avoid heavy lifting (or when you lift heavy things, you feel more symptomatic).
Why Symptoms Are Easy to Miss or Misattribute
Because so much is changing during pregnancy it can be hard to know what is normal. Oftentimes, women push off their symptoms just because they are pregnant and think that discomfort is normal.
Sometimes their doctors even brush off concerns or symptoms leaving women second guessing what they are feeling.
What is Normal Versus What Needs Attention
Increased pressure is inevitable during pregnancy as your body changes. The baby can place more pressure on your bladder requiring more frequent trips to the bathroom.
You may also feel more tension in your hips and back muscles to keep up with the changes to support you.
Another common occurrence during pregnancy are varicose veins. These can develop in the legs and/or the vulva and they typically resolve on their own after birth.
But if you start to feel heaviness or pressure in your vagina, or you start to have difficulty having a bowel movement, it may be time to see a pelvic floor physical therapist. We want to prevent constipation and decrease pelvic floor symptoms you may be feeling as soon as we can.
How to Protect Your Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy
My biggest recommendation would be to seek out pelvic floor PT as soon as you can during pregnancy.
Even if you’re not having symptoms, there are so many ways pelvic floor PT can help you prep for birth and reduce the risk of developing different symptoms during pregnancy!
During pelvic floor PT, you would work on symptom management and core stabilization to support you through the changes during pregnancy.
Your pelvic floor PT will teach you proper breathing mechanics to reduce stress on your pelvic floor during daily activities, exercise, and going to the bathroom and figure out specific pelvic floor exercises that will help you. There are also devices and wearables that you can use to help support your vulva.
Where to Find Pregnancy PT in the Lakes Region and Meredith, NH
If you are pregnant and looking for support with your prolapse symptoms, I can help! I offer pregnancy physical therapy services in Meredith, NH.
Book a discovery call or an evaluation to get started. I would love to be a part of your pelvic health journey!