Prolapse of the bladder is a rather unpleasant disease that a significant number of patients face. In medical terminology, it is also called a cystocele. In fact, this is a pathological displacement of the bladder towards the vagina, in which the muscles of the pelvic floor and abdominal wall are weakened and lose their elasticity.
Causes of occurrence
Prolapsed bladder usually occurs in women over 40 years of age. There are statistics according to which 23 out of ten thousand women over the age of forty require surgery when a cystocele occurs. The risk of developing pathology is especially high in women over 60 years of age.
The fundamental and key cause of bladder prolapse is weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. It is worth noting that, in addition to the cystocele, this same weakening also leads to prolapse of the vagina, uterus, and rectum. Most often, it develops due to a combination of several factors. The main ones can be several of the following:
- problems with the central nervous system;
- insufficiency of pelvic floor muscles;
- prolonged labor (more than 24 hours);
- difficult labor with perineal rupture;
- birth of an oversized baby;
- frequent births (from three times or more);
- use of forceps during labor;
- great physical activity (physical labor, carrying heavy weights - this is especially dangerous during menopause, pregnancy or puberty);
- tissue atrophy in old age;
- drastic weight loss;
- surgeries to eliminate gynecological diseases;
- prolonged and recurring constipation;
- obesity, which is accompanied by pressure on the muscles of the pelvis and abdominal muscles;
- tumor of the pelvic organs.
All of these are possible causes of bladder prolapse in women. As a rule, the disease occurs when several of these factors coincide.
Symptoms
We will describe in detail the symptoms and treatment of bladder prolapse in the article. The danger of this disease lies in the fact that it does not manifest itself in any way in the early stages, so it is almost impossible to recognize it. Only when the prolapse of the bladder in women begins to progress, characteristic signs appear, according to which this ailment is easily determined by any qualified specialist. Most often, patients have to deal with suchfeatured:
- urinary incontinence when sneezing, coughing, laughing, stress, abdominal and pelvic muscle tension;
- urgent and unbearable urge to urinate;
- heaviness in the vagina;
- pain in the lower abdomen and a general feeling of discomfort;
- pain during sex;
- regular infections of the genitourinary system, i.e. cystitis;
- pain in the abdomen and vagina, a feeling of heaviness that disappears in the supine position;
- disturbances in defecation (permanent feeling of incomplete emptying);
- tumor-like protrusion inside the vagina;
- back pain.
He althcare
The vast majority of the fairer sex believes that the occurrence of problems with women's he alth with the onset of a certain age is the norm. This approach is fundamentally wrong, since any possible pathologies, including bladder prolapse, can be effectively treated if you contact the appropriate specialist in a timely manner.
Always be aware of the main symptoms of a prolapsed bladder. If at least one of them bothers you, do not write it off for age and do not try to find non-existent diseases, make an appointment with a specialist. The doctor will thoroughly understand your situation and help you recover.
You are now familiar with the symptoms of prolapsed bladder in women.
Degrees of cystocele
Specialists distinguish three degrees of cystocele disease. Depending on the severity of this disease,appropriate treatment for prolapsed bladder in women.
The first degree is considered the easiest. It is diagnosed at the slightest displacement. In this case, as a rule, there is no obvious discomfort, there are no most or all symptoms without exception. It is worth noting that you will never be able to identify a cystocele at this stage on your own, this is possible only as a result of a thorough gynecological examination in the process of straining.
The second stage is a moderate degree. It can also be determined only at a gynecological examination, but already without tension in the muscles of the abdominal wall. At this stage, the disease is characterized by a protrusion of the anterior wall of the vagina within the genital gap.
The third degree is the most severe, it is diagnosed in any state of the patient, even when she is completely at rest. In this case, the wall of the vagina completely or partially extends beyond the genital gap.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that only if a cystocele is detected in the early stages, it will be possible to get rid of it without surgical intervention. Remember that it is possible to prevent bladder prolapse. To do this, you need to regularly go to a gynecologist for a scheduled appointment and examination.
Prevention
Avoiding cystocele can be quite effective if time is given to prevention. A woman can protect herself from this unpleasant and painful disease if she follows a few simple rules.
Kegel exercises should be done regularly,especially with the onset of a respectable age, do not lift weights, treat constipation in a timely manner, do not start diseases that provoke a strong cough, control your weight, go to the gynecologist regularly for preventive examinations, even if nothing bothers you.
Diagnosis
When diagnosing a cystocele, it is important to understand what led to the weakening of the pelvic muscles in your particular case. This is the main question that specialists must answer when prolapsing other organs, such as the vagina, uterus or rectum. It is necessary to establish the degree of omission of the internal organ, its performance and condition, to exclude inflammation, infections, all kinds of pathologies in which the operation may be contraindicated for the patient. So, if a cystocele is suspected, a comprehensive and comprehensive diagnosis is mandatory.
Only a detailed and exhaustive history will help the specialist determine what exactly worries you, what comorbidities exist, whether there have already been operations, including gynecological ones, whether any of your relatives and friends have encountered the same problems.
At the next stage of the diagnosis, the doctor performs a detailed visual examination using instruments that will help identify a cystocele even at an early stage of the disease.
To determine other concomitant pathologies and diseases of the bladder and internal organs located in the neighborhood, it is important to exclude inflammation and infection. To do this, the gynecologist will prescribe a number of mandatory procedures for you: ultrasound diagnostics, testsurine and blood, MRI, cystoscopy, cystourethrography, urodynamic study.
Treatment
The main task of treating bladder prolapse is to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and return the internal organs to their standard anatomical position.
Most often, cystocele is accompanied by a number of other pathological conditions, so specialists are faced with the need to also improve the patient's sexual life, eliminate urinary incontinence, and prevent possible problems with the pelvic diaphragm.
The method of treatment should be chosen by your doctor, based on the individual condition of the patient after a thorough preliminary diagnosis. In this case, much depends on the age, degree of cystocele, general he alth, comorbidities, sensitivity to certain drugs and procedures, and the prognosis for the development of the disease.
Hormone Therapy
With conservative treatment, you will be prescribed hormone therapy and special Kegel exercises, but this is only possible in the early stages of the disease.
At this stage, hormone therapy has long proven its effectiveness, which allows you to restore the level of specific female sex hormones called estrogens. They have a direct impact on the tone and condition of the muscles of the pelvic floor. You should not choose drugs on your own, this should be done by a doctor, evaluating all the factors and risks.
Kegel Exercises
Special exercises help many in the early stages. In this case, prolapsed bladder can be effectively de alt with without resorting to dangerous surgical interventions.
This gymnastics is also considered the most effective preventive method. With the help of special exercises, the patient manages to restore normal tone to the intimate and pelvic muscles. Many are attracted to them by the fact that for their implementation it is not at all necessary to visit a clinic or go to the gym. The entire complex is available at home.
Important: Kegel exercises must be performed with an empty bladder. It will be especially effective if you do all the exercises lying on your back with your knees bent.
Exercise Description
Squeeze the muscles, pulling the knees up, hold them in this position for ten seconds, then relax the muscles for 10 seconds, repeat all over again. This complex is recommended to be performed 10 times in the morning, afternoon and evening.
Please note that during the exercise you can not hold your breath and stretch your navel. Everything should be done as smoothly, calmly and deeply as possible and not overload the body with these workouts - 10 repetitions in one approach will be enough. Strengthening of the muscles should occur in about two to three months, and the uterus will return up to its usual position. It is important to do all the exercises regularly and correctly. If there is no positive effect, contact your doctor, hewill adjust treatment tactics.
Surgery
If the disease has passed into the third stage, do not avoid surgery when the bladder is lowered. When developing the right tactics for surgical intervention, the doctor must understand what exactly caused the weakening of your pelvic muscles.
For this, preliminary comprehensive diagnostics are carried out with the involvement of the necessary specialists in related fields. The degree of surgical intervention is affected by the degree of bladder prolapse, age, possible pathologies of neighboring organs, and many other important factors.
It is worth remembering that only a comprehensive and professional approach to solving the problem can provide effective treatment for this disease. After all, the relaxation of the muscles that influence the development of this pathology is based on a complex of various reasons.
The patient must be sure that he is in the hands of professional surgeons who work with modern equipment.
Post-operative period
The duration of the postoperative period that the patient spends in the hospital depends on a complex of various factors. Including how successful the operation was, what condition the patient is in. On average, the rehabilitation period varies from one day to several days, since the operation is not classified as complex.
In this case, the patient must follow a number of recommendations for several weeks after surgery, no matter how successful youroperation. It is forbidden to cough intensively, lift heavy objects, sneeze frequently, stand in one place for a long time, have sex, push too hard during bowel movements. Any impact and stress on the muscles should be avoided.
As a rule, most restrictions are removed after a month, then it is allowed to resume sexual relations with a partner.
Contraindications
It is important to remember that any operation has contraindications, and this one is no exception.
Surgical intervention is prohibited if the patient has acute cardiovascular diseases, progressive diseases of the internal organs, sexually transmitted diseases or inflammation of the genital organs, all kinds of infections, the tendency of tissues to excessive scarring, poor blood clotting, diabetes mellitus.
