Have you ever had a feeling of a ball in your vagina, difficulty urinating or having a bowel movement, or pain during sexual intercourse? This could be a sign of a low uterus.
This condition, also called fallen uterus or uterine prolapse, affects about 40% of women over 50, especially those who have gone through menopause or have had one or more vaginal deliveries.
Even so, low uterus does not only appear in older women. To better understand the condition and know how to identify it, we have gathered everything you need to know about the subject.
What is a low uterus?
The low uterus, as the name implies, is when the female organ responsible for reproduction descends into the vagina because of the weakening of the muscles and ligaments responsible for keeping it in the right place.
Therefore, the uterus is much closer to the vaginal canal, causing several symptoms that bother and can interfere with a woman's quality of life, as we will see later.
Causes
Uterine prolapse can appear for three main reasons.
The first of them has to do with genetics: while some women are already born with a greater propensity to have a fallen uterus, others develop it later or not at all.
There is also the issue of aging. With the changes in the body brought about by advancing age, the risk of developing a low uterus increases, as the muscles that support it weaken. Some of these changes are: obesity, menopausal hormonal changes, pregnancies, vaginal births and pelvic surgeries.
And finally, there are the secondary factors, which end up causing the uterus to descend as a consequence. This is the case of a drooping bladder, chronic cough, constipation, excess skin or hernias in the abdominal region, excessive and incorrect weight lifting and pelvic tumors or infections.
Therefore, analyzing the causes above, it is possible to say that the women most affected by uterine prolapse are the older ones, those who have had more than one normal delivery or those who are in menopause. Still, women of any age can develop the condition.
To identify it, you need to know its symptoms, which we list below.
Low uterus symptoms
The main signs of a fallen uterus are:
- Difficulty urinating or having a bowel movement
- frequent discharge
- Pain during intercourse
- Pain in the lower back
- Difficulty walking
- prominence of vagina
- Difficulty fitting and using menstrual cups
- Feeling like a ball in the vagina or feeling like something is coming out of it
Depending on how far the uterus has descended, uterine prolapse may present more or less symptoms, also varying in the quality of life of the woman. Understand below.
grades of uterine prolapse
Generally speaking, the low uterus can be divided into four grades. Are they:
- Grade 1: The uterus descends, but the cervix does not appear at the vulva (outer part of the vagina).
- Grade 2: the uterus descends, and the cervix appears along with the anterior and posterior wall of the vagina.
- Grade 3: the uterus descends outside the vulva by up to 1 centimeter.
- Grade 4: The uterus appears on the outside of the vulva with more than 1 centimeter.
Depending on the severity, other organs in the region, such as the vagina, bladder and rectum, may also suffer consequences. Let's see what can happen if uterine prolapse is not treated properly.
Possible complications
If, along with the descent of the uterus, the bladder also falls into the vagina, the patient may develop a new condition called a cystocele. Cystocele causes discomfort when straining, a feeling of pressure in the pelvis, and that the bladder has not been completely emptied even after urinating.
If it is the intestine that descends, there is a risk that the organ will come out through the vaginal canal.
If the vagina is displaced, the vaginal canal can be projected out of the body, causing vaginal prolapse.
When not evaluated by a specialized professional, these conditions make the woman more susceptible to urinary and cervical infections, such as that caused by HPV, the papillomavirus.
For pregnant women, the situation is even more dangerous. During pregnancy, the cervix is expected to descend a little in the last few days, to facilitate delivery of the baby. But when this drop is very sharp or happens at other times of pregnancy, you need to seek medical help.
Some of the complications of uterine prolapse in pregnant women involve cervical infection, excessive discharge, constipation, difficulty walking, increased or retention of urinary frequency, premature labor and even miscarriage.
How is the diagnosis made?
To avoid all these complications, it is important to look for a gynecologist at the first symptoms. The diagnosis of low uterus happens through transvaginal ultrasound or intimate touch performed by the patient or by the specialist doctor.
Low uterus treatment
Once identified, the fallen uterus can be treated with medication or surgery, depending on its severity.
Surgery is indicated only in the most dangerous cases or when other treatments have not produced the expected results. It can be done for two different purposes: first, to repair the muscles and ligaments that hold the uterus in place; and the second, to remove the uterus totally or partially. The latter is only recommended for women who are already menopausal or when the prolapse is very severe. Recovery from the procedure takes approximately six weeks.
When the patient does not want, cannot or needs to postpone the surgery, the pessary appears as a solution. It is a plastic or silicone device that supports the uterus, relieving symptoms and preventing the organ from descending further.
Care to be taken
There is yet another alternative widely used in treatments, but which also serve as a form of prevention of low uterus. These are Kegel exercises.
These activities aim to strengthen the muscles of the pelvis, increasing blood circulation in the region and preventing, for example, urinary incontinence. To be effective, kegels need to be performed every day, at least 3 times a day, indoors or with the help of a pelvic physiotherapist.
You might also like:
- Pain in the uterus - Understand what it can be!
- Cervical cancer: how to prevent it?
- Have you ever heard of an inverted uterus?
- Learn the uterus vaporization technique
- Autumn and its influence on female cycles
The key is in activating the pubococcygeus muscle, which can be identified by stopping the stream of pee when you go to urinate. Once recognized, follow this step by step:
- Empty the bladder.
- Feel the pubococcygeus muscle: relax and contract to know where it is.
- After urinating, repeat the movement to be sure.
- Sitting, standing or lying down, perform 10 consecutive pubococcygeus contractions trying not to trigger other muscles.
- Relax for a moment.
- Re-contract it. Do 10 sets of 10 contractions daily.
For those who are starting, the tip is to perform the exercises lying down, with your legs bent. In the future, pilates balls can enter the activity to strengthen resistance.
Now that you know what low uterus is and how it manifests itself, pay attention to your body's signs and seek medical help at the slightest symptom of this condition. Your quality of life will thank you!
