what type of bladder prolapse repair?

I have a large cystocele, will see the GYN in a couple of weeks and expect to be scheduled for surgery. I used to have stress incontinence and would "leak" a bit whenever I coughed or sneezed, and also had to go to the bathroom frequently.

Now I'm just the opposite... tight as a drum, seldom feel an urge and when I do void it's just a weak trickle. Obviously the cystocele is masking incontinence and obstructing voiding.

On the resource page at this site, several types of bladder surgeries are mentioned. They are:

Sling Procedures

Burch Retropubic Urethropexy

Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz (MMK)

Suburethral Sling

Tension-free Vaginal Tape (TVT)

TOT (Transobturator Tape)


This is very daunting! So much info (much of it conflicting) and such a huge decision to make.

Which type of surgery is best? What are the pros and cons of each? Does anybody have some experience or words of wisdom on these?

Thanks so much.

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words of wisdom

Yes, I can give you wisdom (which has been posted here a million times) see a UROgyncologist. A regular gyn is NOT trained in bladder issues, and most end up calling in a urologist. However, a UROgyncologist is a gyn, that is trained 3-4 more years for pelvic / bladder disorders.

Thanks, princess. I wish I could go doctor-shopping, but I live in such an isolated rural area that I'm lucky even to be seeing an actual gynecologist, let alone a Uro-specialist.

The GYN is probably going to refer me to somebody else... I expect it will be whoever is available in the nearest large city, which is several hours away, and I will have take what's offered.

Still, I would like to know in advance what sort of questions I should be asking.

I had TVT-O plus anterior repairs. There are no Urogyn's in the area where I live (not even in the state I live in). My Gyn sent me to a urologist who advised having both the TVT-O and the anterior repair, with a GYN doing the anterior repair. He said the TVT-O alone would correct it but not permanently.

Your case is really different from mine, though, so I'd look for a doctor with a lot of experience in this area and go with his or her recommendations. I was having major issues with leaking and incontinence.

Different doctors prefer different methods and are trained differently, so I think it will depend on who you see and their training.