To kegel or not to kegel - Updated 6/7/21

Hi there,

I’m going to gynie tomorrow - I saw one last Tuesday, she diagnosed me then said that she was going on holiday the next day and that I had get an appointment with this gynie. I have grade 2 bladder prolapse and grade 1 uterus prolapse.

I’m 40, have a toddler, endometriosis history, heavy periods, low lying placenta, bleeding during pregnancy, back labor.

Before seeing the gynie - I went because my divacup I bought was falling down the whole time, googled troubleshooting and they said one reason could be lowered bladder. I also have had bad back pain, sore groin, want to pee but no inflection, intimacy hurts, urine smells strong. I now can feel the bladder sitting at the entrance just inside. This has been coming for months and didn’t realize it.

My reason for asking is because someone said I should not do any operations and just do kegel. Is it possible for kegel exercise s to reverse uterus off bladder and back up the canal and then plop the bladder back in position followed by a handbrake turn of the uterus and parking it back in position?

My hubby and I have always only wanted one child for many realistic reasons. We feel that doing a hysterectomy and then sorting out the bladder will be the best solution for quality of life instead of pinning back the uterus and bladder. Has anyone ever had a bladder and uterus prolapse where they didn’t do a hysterectomy and pinned both up successfully?

Thank you for the link you sent me in my intro thread. I’ve been reading up on the options and kegel can be done after the operation to maintain things.

I just wanted to thank this group again for making me feel so welcome. I went to the gynie this morning and after a very unfriendly consultation with a different diagnosis I left with no answers and even more anxiety. We decided to change hospitals and made another appointment with a gynie there. She was lovely! She immediately diagnosed the problem and gave me meds to help the infection. A couple of weeks back my husband, our toddler and I suffered from terrible gastro caused by the water in the swimming pool in the compound/village we live in. Months before that I think I picked up an infection from the same pool which then spread throughout my abdomen and was spreading out. That would explain the inflammation at my entrance, the intense pain and the symptoms that matched prolapsed uterus or bladder. How the other gynies diagnosed anything prolapsed is beyond me but I have been given medication, was sent for an ultrasound and returning for check ups to heal things. The relief is intense!

I just wanted to say that I’ve learnt a lot about my body as a woman through this experience and I have such respect for any woman going through anything related to hysterectomies. I pray for everyone on this forum and hope you all have speedy recoveries. I also wanted to say that despite my hubby and I being at peace with our decision to only have 1 child it was still a really emotional decision to discuss and make. Society in general doesn’t prepare you for things like this. No one ever sat me down and invested in my knowledge of how I should care for myself when I got older and post labor.

Today it isn’t an operation for me and I feel that I have been given a second chance to get going on my kegel exercises to include in my daily routine to avoid anything in the future if possible. I do know however that this group is here and that if I ever am faced with this prospect again I will be wiser and more prepared. It’s been a stressful week and quite an unkind one.

Take care everyone!

I'm so glad you went for another opinion! It's something we always recommend and while it doesn't always mean that a hysterectomy can be avoided, it often does. It's great that you aren't facing surgery now and hopefully you never will be, but we will be here for you if you need that kind of support.

Take good care of yourself!

Thank you!