Nonsurgical Treatment of Prolapse

Treatment of prolapse is based on the patient’s symptoms and her desired outcome. Prolapse is not usually considered a medical emergency unless other acute medical conditions occur secondary to the prolapse. Women sometimes live with prolapse for months or years without bothersome symptoms.

When there are not coexisting medical conditions or complications, we counsel patients that the sound of surgery should sound better than the symptoms she is experiencing. In other words, vaginal prolapse repair or sacrocolpopexy should be considered when she is ready to move forward with surgical repair. While living with prolapse symptoms, it is common not to notice how much one is compensating until the defect is repaired.

Typically, once the repair is completed and the vagina is restored to the normal anatomy, patients report an overwhelming sense of relief and are able to be more active socially, with exercise and intimately. Non-surgical treatment of prolapse options include wait and watch approach, pessary and pelvic floor physical therapy (for smaller prolapses). If not ready to move forward with surgical repair, some women will try non-surgical treatment options until they are ready to move forward with surgery or prolapse symptoms become more disruptive.