Organ prolapse, or prolapse, refers to the movement of one or more pelvic organs into the vagina or the anus. According to the French health insurance service, a woman has an 11 to 19 % risk of having surgery for a prolapse during her lifetime. Although many are affected, they find it hard to talk about. Yet natural treatments for organ prolapse do exist!
- Understanding the anatomical mechanisms: grasping the causes of weakening in the pelvic floor and the visceral support structures.
- Adopting lifestyle changes: putting natural everyday solutions in place to reduce intra-abdominal pressure.
- Practising active pelvic floor rehabilitation: restoring muscle tone at home thanks to connected tools such as Emy Trainer.
Effective natural treatments for early-stage organ prolapse
A vaginal prolapse can occur at several points in a woman's life, at any age. After a pregnancy, a difficult delivery, a perineal tear, a hysterectomy or with the arrival of menopause… A wide variety of factors can explain the appearance of this condition.
However, there is often one thing in common: the involvement of the pelvic floor.
The link between the pelvic floor and organ prolapse
The pelvic floor muscles, or pelvic diaphragm, are responsible for holding the internal organs in place (particularly the digestive and genital organs such as the uterus).
If these muscles are too slack, they can no longer support the viscera properly. That is then one of the main risk factors for organ prolapse.
The most frequent are cystocele (descent of the bladder) and rectocele (when the rectum descends).
A weakening of the pelvic floor can also bring on other complications, such as:
- leaks, or even urinary incontinence;
- a sensation of a vaginal bulge;
- pain during sexual intercourse;
- a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen…
Rehabilitating your pelvic floor to counter organ prolapse
First, pelvic floor rehabilitation is recommended as a first-line treatment in cases of urinary leaks.
This solution also proves very effective for early or moderate prolapses (stages 1 and 2).
Likewise, in cases that may require surgery, regular pelvic floor rehabilitation sessions are essential. They can even push the operation back by several years, or avoid it altogether.
Toning the pelvic floor muscles will indeed strengthen your pelvic floor. Your organs will then have far better support.
In any case, consult a healthcare professional first, such as a gynaecologist or a midwife. Medical professionals will recommend pelvic floor rehabilitation as a natural treatment according to the stage of your discomfort.
Sessions with a professional
In practical terms, to treat this condition, it is best to start rehabilitation with a professional (a midwife or specialist physiotherapist). This will let you become properly aware of your pelvic floor and understand how it works.
For better results, manual rehabilitation can even be combined with the use of a vaginal probe such as the Emy Trainer pelvic floor probe.
Note also that, under certain conditions, these sessions may be covered. This depends on your situation and on the rehabilitation methods you use.
Finally, these sessions are also a perfect opportunity to ask all your questions. And above all, to learn how to contract your pelvic floor properly, without difficulty!
Strengthening your pelvic floor independently at home
Afterwards, you will need to continue your pelvic floor rehabilitation exercises at home, on your own. To do so, apply the advice given by your healthcare professional.
And if you have enough command of your pelvic floor to do without these supervised sessions, start directly on your own.
In both cases, manual rehabilitation without any accessory is possible. But many devices can also help you strengthen your pelvic floor. Among these tools, easy to use at home, is the Emy connected probe.
Its mobile app will guide you through your rehabilitation sessions with visual or audio contraction exercises. You can also track your progress and set reminders so you remember to train.
It is worth noting that 2 out of 3 women who use Emy Trainer over the long term for their pelvic floor rehabilitation reported a significant improvement in their prolapse-related symptoms (according to a survey of users).
Find out more about the Emy probe
Stay consistent!
Whatever method you choose, consistency is paramount. It is the key to the success of this natural treatment for organ prolapse.
You will only feel the long-term benefits by establishing a genuine pelvic floor toning routine.
While brushing your teeth, waiting for the children outside school, in the car at a red light… Find the moment that suits you best for your manual training. 5 minutes every evening on your sofa will already be effective. Over time, repeating the exercises will even become a reflex!
Treating prolapse symptoms naturally with a better lifestyle
Taking care of your lifestyle is another natural way to counter organ prolapse. By acting on several causes at once, you improve the health of your pelvic floor.
Which lifestyle changes help stabilise a prolapse?
Changing your lifestyle for good is an essential overall natural remedy for protecting your pelvic floor from daily pressures. By adopting simple, physiological habits, it is entirely possible to stabilise the progression of an organ prolapse and relieve the pelvic area.
The importance of a healthy diet for transit
Tackling constipation is the priority for protecting the muscles of the lower abdomen. Repeated straining blocks the breath and pushes the viscera downwards, tiring the supporting tissues.
Over time, this excess pressure can cause a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. And thus lead to the appearance or worsening of organ prolapse symptoms.
Managing heavy lifting day to day
Lifting heavy objects incorrectly creates immediate intra-abdominal pressure that bears directly on the cervix and the bladder.
To limit damaging loads, learn to change your posture:
- Always bend your knees
- Keep your back straight
- Deliberately contract your pelvic floor just before starting the movement
- Breathe out properly between each movement
Practising a pelvis-friendly physical activity
Giving up sport entirely is a common mistake that weakens the abdominal girdle as a whole. It is simply a matter of adopting a gentle sporting practice. Activities involving repeated impact with the ground (running, tennis, trampolining) or "crunch"-type abdominal exercises increase the risk of descent.
Favour regular exercise of moderate intensity and neutral impact, such as swimming, cycling, Nordic walking or Pilates.
These disciplines encourage the strengthening of the transverse abdominis (the deep abdominal muscle), which acts as a natural sheath, protecting the contents of the abdomen without exerting downward vertical pressure.
People often talk about the many benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The health of your pelvic floor is one of them. All the more reason to take better care of yourself day to day!
Other natural remedies for treating a genital prolapse
Finally, there are many other natural solutions for dealing with a genital prolapse.
If the discomfort is mild or very occasional, during an effort for instance, you can in particular wear a pessary. Inserted into the vagina like a tampon, this small silicone ring helps hold the internal organs in place. It thereby prevents urinary leaks.
But be careful: wearing a pessary is a palliative, not a curative solution. This device will have no effect on strengthening your pelvic floor.
The pessary is therefore useful in certain specific cases, for occasional use (during sport, for example). But it is not a long-term solution.
When natural treatments are not enough…
Finally, it unfortunately happens that the organ prolapse is too advanced (stage 3 or 4) for a natural treatment to work. This is the case when the prolapse comes outside, becoming visible beyond the vulva.
If no natural solution is enough, the last resort will therefore be surgery. In that situation, pelvic floor rehabilitation will be just as valuable after the operation, to recover the tone of the pelvic muscles.
Key takeaways on treating organ prolapse
- Early management as a guarantee of effectiveness: acting at the first signs of heaviness (stages 1 and 2) makes it possible to restore the supporting function of the muscular hammock and to avoid progression to a critical, surgical stage.
- Adopting a protective lifestyle day to day: a fibre-rich diet to eliminate constipation and learning the right postures when lifting permanently reduce mechanical pressure on the lesser pelvis.
- Consistency as the key to success, with suitable tools: rebuilding pelvic muscle fibres requires sustained, regular training over the long term. A greatly simplified and optimised routine can be put in place with a biofeedback solution such as the Emy Trainer pelvic floor probe to tackle urinary symptoms.
Sources
- Prospective evaluation of the connected biofeedback EMY Kegel trainer in the management of stress urinary incontinence, Jochum F et al., February 2022, Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction 51(2):102280 – link
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Rehabilitation Using Biofeedback, Diane Kaschak Newman, July 2014, Urologic Nursing 34(4):193-202 – link
- Prolapsus génital de la femme – Prise en charge thérapeutique : Argumentaire, Anne-Cécile Pizzoferrato, Caroline Thuillier et Aurélien Venara, Mai 2021, Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) – link
