Life Science Encyclopedia

Female genital prolapse (or vaginal prolapse) is characterized by a portion of the vaginal canal protruding from the opening of the vagina. The condition usually occurs when the pelvic floor collapses as a result of childbirth and is more common among tall Caucasian women.

Types

• cystocele (bladder into vagina)
• enterocele (small intestine into vagina)
• rectocele (rectum into vagina)
• urethrocele (urethra into vagina)
• uterine prolapse (uterus into vagina)
• vaginal vault prolapse (roof of vagina, after hysterectomy)

Therapy

Vaginal prolapses must be treated according to the severity of symptoms. They can be treated:

• With conservative measures (changes in diet and fitness, Kegel exercises, etc.)
• With a pessary, to provide support to the weakened vaginal walls
• With surgery. A new minimally invasive surgical procedure is effective in restoring a woman's anatomy to the condition it was before childbirth with a recovery time of only 2 weeks. It is performed vaginally using a laparoscope and surgical mesh to repair the cystocele and rectocele and a laser to tighten the vaginal canal creating a natural support for the uterus.

See also

• prolapse