Prolapsed bladder (Cystocele): Symptoms and treatment

In this guide, I provide information from my practice as a midwife, menopause and pelvic floor therapist about the causes, symptoms and treatment of bladder prolapse and give you tips on what you can do yourself to effectively combat bladder prolapse. If you, as a sufferer, don't need any more information but are just looking for a training device to help you quickly with your symptoms, you will find a medical product with a proven effect here:

Table of contents:

What is bladder prolapse?

All organs in the body are connected by a stable system of connective tissue and muscles that holds each organ in place. Various factors can strain and change this system, especially pregnancy. This is why a prolapse of the bladder or uterus mainly occurs in women.

Bladder prolapse (also known as cystocele) is a condition in which the bladder moves downwards towards the vagina and pelvic floor. Overall, there are several diseases in the form of organ prolapse, which often occur together in varying degrees of severity:

• Bladder prolapse, other names: Bladder prolapse or cystocele
• Uterine prolapse, usually in combination with vaginal prolapse
• Vaginal prolapse, usually after removal of the uterus
• Prolapse of the bowel, also known as rectocele.

Symptoms and diagnosis of bladder prolapse

The following symptoms indicate a diagnosis of bladder prolapse:

• Foreign body sensation in the vagina
• Difficult or incomplete emptying of the bladder
• Bladder weakness and incontinence of the bladder (dribbling)
• Menstrual cramps
• Back pain (lower back, lumbar spine)

Ultimately, an expert examination and diagnosis by a doctor or professional therapist will provide you with information about the cause and degree of your symptoms.

Causes and risk factors

In addition to pregnancy and childbirth, there are several other causes and risk factors:

• Frequent constipation: Pushing during bowel movements also strains the uterus and bladder and promotes incontinence.
• Overweight: Mass and body weight tend to push the uterus and bladder downwards.
• General connective tissue weakness: Weak connective tissue cannot (or can no longer) optimally support the organs.
• Chronic coughing: The constant pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles when coughing causes bladder weakness and has negative effects on many organs.
• Menopause: During the menopause, the connective tissue becomes weaker and promotes various complaints in women, such as uterine prolapse, bladder prolapse and/or incontinence.
• Incorrect behavior when lifting, carrying, etc.: Weakens the pelvic floor muscles and promotes the development of a form of incontinence (stress incontinence). This type of bladder weakness is particularly common in women.

Treatment of bladder prolapse

Which of the following forms of treatment for bladder prolapse are appropriate and whether surgery is necessary depends, among other things, on the severity of the symptoms. You should seek help from a doctor.

Pelvic floor training

A professional pelvic floor therapist will show you suitable exercises and check that you are doing them correctly. And medical Kegel Balls with proven effects such as Viball support you in everyday life, even without active training:

Change in risk factors

Eliminating the causes mentioned above is important if your treatment is to be successful.

Therapeutische Pessare

These are special supportive pessaries; those used for contraception are unsuitable here.

Operations

The last option is surgery in a specialist clinic. But before that, you should make use of your own treatment options. And there are a few.

Which pelvic floor training is right?

Optimal pelvic floor training for bladder prolapse depends on the following factors:

If the birth was several months ago

A slight prolapse in the first few months after a birth or pregnancy is not unusual. In most cases, it is a prolapse of the anterior vaginal wall. In this case, the connective tissue still needs time to recover and initially light, then gradually more intensive pelvic floor training to support it. This pelvic floor training should primarily take place in a horizontal position, i.e. in a prone or knee-elbow position. I have designed special exercises (with Viball) from my practice for this, you can find examples below. You can also wear Viball in everyday life, it strengthens the muscles in the pelvic floor, vagina and bladder area. A pleasant side effect: it stimulates erotically and is also good for the pelvic floor.

You should also observe appropriate physical behavior and avoid heavy lifting and carrying (e.g. car seat with baby). If you gave birth more than a year ago. After this time, the connective tissue strained by pregnancy and birth has usually recovered. If not, you should definitely start exercising your pelvic floor.

Here too, tensing and relaxing the pelvic floor must be actively trained, with a particular focus on addressing the fast (FT) and slow (ST) muscle fibers. A pelvic floor training aid is also effective. Medical Kegel Balls, which are available in various sizes and weights such as Viball, are particularly suitable here.

With consistent active and passive training and adherence to the rules of conduct, surgery can certainly be avoided. Moreover, an operation cannot restore the original condition, and exercises and appropriate everyday behavior are still necessary afterwards. So prevention is always better than surgery.

If the birth was more than one year ago

After more than a year, the connective tissue strained by pregnancy and childbirth has usually recovered. If not, you should definitely start training the pelvic floor. Here too, the pelvic floor must be actively trained to tense and relax, with a particular focus on addressing the fast (FT) and slow (ST) muscle fibers. In this case too, an effective pelvic floor training aid, preferably certified medical Kegel Balls such as Viball, will help.

Help from suitable Kegel Balls

Not every Kegel Ball trains the pelvic floor, even if the erotic industry likes to spread the word. The term "medical" Kegel Balls also says nothing. Only certified medical products such as Viball have to prove their effectiveness and safety of use. They work against bladder prolapse in two ways:

• Passive pelvic floor training (long-term use)
  

  You carry the largest possible viball in a light version in everyday life. You don't have to actively hold the right size in your vagina, it stays inside you without any effort. It generates different vibrations depending on your movements: The finer impulses stimulate the "fast-twitch" muscle fibers, they are an essential part of the bladder's sphincter muscles and are effective against incontinence. The stronger impulses stimulate other muscle fibers. They encourage you to perform a few conscious contractions and support the training of your pelvic floor muscles through occasional activity.

• Active pelvic floor training (short-term application)
  

  To do this, you should use a smaller viball that you have to consciously hold with your pelvic floor muscles. It helps you to be aware of your pelvic floor during the exercises. Its weight also creates an additional training stimulus for your pelvic floor muscles.

Tips for everyday life with bladder prolapse

• Make sure you have a good upright posture, both standing and sitting. This will create basic body tension, not just in the pelvic floor.
• Be conscious when you go to the toilet: Hold yourself upright when urinating. Use a stool for your feet during bowel movements, round your back and "push" instead of squeezing.
• Whenever you get up from a seated position, place your feet on the floor in a stepping position, tense your pelvic floor as you exhale and come up with a straight back.
• Ensure smooth bowel movements through diet and exercise.
• After lying down, move over your side into an upright position.
• Tighten your pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles before you cough or sneeze.
• Only lift heavy loads with a straight back. Breathe out and consciously tense your pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles.
• Treat yourself to a pelvic floor check-up with a professional physiotherapist or pelvic floor therapist. With the help of ultrasound and manual examination, a specialist will be able to make an expert diagnosis better than a doctor and give you efficient help with treatment.