Hi, new to this forum but finding it very enlightening. I have seen a consultant and she says I have a mild rectocele and I am waiting for physio which she says will fix it. My question is, should it be causing so many symptoms. I have a constant dragging feeling in vagina, like a tampon slipping out. Although I am making sure my bowels work well I still have feeling I need to go. But worst of all is the dull ache or feeling of downward pressure between my anus and vagina. It is not there everyday but then it will really bad for 3 or 4 days and makes life difficult. No painkillers or heat pads seem to shift it. I cant work out what makes it worse.
Has anyone else experienced this and what helped.
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Not sure if mine is the same as yours. But is it just an ache? is it when your bowels are full? any pain while going? i have been through all kinds of tests, and my next stop is orthopedic spine dr. I have had colonscopy, hysterectomy and MRIs.. which show a few issues in the lower lumbar area.
It is an ache with pressure, does that make any sense. From what I can remember, it feels a bit like the pressure you get when giving birth! Although that was a long time ago (I'm 58)
I think it might be linked with bowels but I cant work out how. Sorry to be graphic but I take cosmocol and open my bowels first thing every morning, quite loose, so no straining. But it does always feel like I need to go some more and I often a small amount several times during the day. But this is always the same and I don't have the ache every day so not sure about a link?
Any prolapse can cause numerous aches and pains, backache, pelvic pain, pain radiating down into the thighs plus lots more. Physio is unlikely to "fix" it, you may improve it but it will still be there. Have you asked about topical estrogen to strengthen your vaginal walls which will help immensely ?
I started on Vagifem at the beginning of September but so far it doesn't seem to be having any effect. No back ache or ache in thighs just the perineum. The puzzle is some days it goes completely and then I will have 3 or 4 days when it is constant and I find it hard to concentrate on anything else. My consultant says its unusual to experience such a severe symptom with such a mild prolapse.
I do wonder if I tense up when I feel it coming on and make the whole thing worse. I tried using a kegal8 machine but I think this just makes it worse so am sticking to manual kegals until I see the physio.
Vagifem takes several months to get the full effect so give it time. I found Pilates with an instructor experienced in prolapse far more helpful than physio which did absolutely nothing for me. Its also worth getting a second or third or how ever many opinions if your Consultant isn't helping much, I've had to go private to get some proper help.
Thanks. My consultant did say it would take longer to work. I too went private , apart from not waiting, I wanted a female. Seems much easier to explain sypmtons to someone with the same bits as me. I am interested in pilates, do you recommend any in particular. I looked at hab-it but not sure.
Absolutely agree we need to see female docs, my current Gynae Con is so nice and she really understands, well worth the cost.
With Pilates I would strongly recommend 1 to 1 classes with a prolapse experienced instructor, again a lady ! there are movements you mustn't do with a prolapse so vital you are taught what's right and wrong, learning to do pelvic floor exercises properly was an eye opener, yep most women aren't doing it right !
If you live near Glastonbury I can recommend a good teacher 🙂
Thanks, my consultant was lovely too, really easy to talk to. Just as well because I poured my heart out. So nice to be listened to, my female GP didn't seem very interested. Just prescribed Vagifem and cosmocol to stop me getting constipated. I will ask the physio about pilates when I see her in 2 weeks time. I'm in Portsmouth so Glastonbury would be too far. I'm missing my exercise but I'm terrified of making things worse.
Anyone out there had problems with kegal8 machine making things worse?
Hi bantam im in Bristol looking for guidance with exercise - used to be very active but scared to exercise now and make things worse would love a recommendation of any teachers nearby
My Pilates instructor works just outside Glastonbury so a bit of a trek from Bristol, if you google some local to you make sure they are experienced in prolapse problems as some of the exercises are not suitable.
Glastonbury isn’t so far from me, wondering what their name is as they might be able to connect me to other experienced instructors in the south west? I’m struggling with google alone...
Hi I see you posted this a month ago and am wondering how you are getting on? I have a grade 2 rectecele. I went private to get my diagnosis but the specialist was quite dismissive about my symptoms. Like you I have pain in my perinium - sometimes it feels like I’ve just given birth! It’s often worse when I’m sitting (especially on a hard seat) and feels like a squeezing, burning pain. I’m on Vagifem but doesn’t seem to be helping. The specialist said I will need surgery but I’ve no idea how long I’m going to have to wait on the NHS. I have to hold myself underneath every time I go for a poo and it’s getting more and more difficult to go. I’m 52 and I think it all started after childbirth but it’s got a lot worse recently. Anyway I’d be interested to know if you’ve resolved anything.
I'm not really much further forward and still struggling on a daily basis. The ache and pressure is there pretty much all the time, until I lay on the sofa in the evening, then it abates a bit. I know exactly what you mean by a squeezing burning pain. It's impossible to forget about it.
My private consultant was lovely but she couldn't understand why my symptoms so severe for a mild prolapse, she just said all women are different and physio would ease it all.
I have now seen a physio and she confirmed it is a mild rectocele prolapse. I asked her why I was so symptomatic with a mild prolapse and some people seemed to have much worse prolapses and barely any symptoms. She was able to explain that sometimes people have more nerve damage inside because of traumatic deliveries, i.e. forceps. This means that they have less feeling. She thinks that because my deliveries were fast but with no intervention that my nerves are all in tact and therefore I feel it more. She also said that because I tore during delivery the scar tissue will not be helping.
I'm not sure that this fully explains the discomfort I'm in!
She gave me some kegals to do three times a day. She checked and I was doing them the right way. I told her that they make it worse so she said to make sure I stop and breathe between each one and fully relax my pelvic floor. She doesn't want to see me for 6 weeks.
I came away very optimistic and had a better few days.
But once again the kegals seem to be making it worse so I have stopped them and have been focusing on relaxation of my pelvic floor although this isn't helping either.
I am very careful with my diet and also take a sachet of cosmocol most days. That keeps my stools soft but I still have trouble emptying my bowels and always feel like I still need to go. I usually go lots of times during the day, which leaves my rectum feeling somewhat tender and sore.
I'm having a colonoscopy next week just to check that there is nothing more going on but my GP and physio don't expect it to throw up any other problems.
I'm not sure where to go next? Should I do the kegals or not?
Should I stop the laxative or not?
Sorry this has turned into a bit of a rant but, like you, I am confused and don't really know what to do next. I really don't want to feel like this for much longer. I hope you get some answers soon and you don't have to wait too long for surgery.
Look up qofora bowel irrigation systems as straining to empty bowel makes prolapses worse.
Get refferal to specialist unit.
Rocking on loo may help but also put feet up on an upturned washing up bowel while on the loo.
It activates a tendon that helps to empty bowel or squat over a potty, this is a more natural way to poo. Sitting on a toilet is NOT a natural position to poo in.
So sorry to hear you’re still suffering. I am too! My symptoms are driving me mad. I still don’t have a date for the op so I went back to work today after 4 weeks off. Really struggled - aching, squeezing, heavy feeling - worse when sitting on an office chair or standing for long periods. Like you ‘m lying on the sofa now to get some relief. I had a ‘deffacating proctogram’ last week (a rather unpleasant X-ray where you open your bowels while they X-ray you!). Anyway could see the Rectocele really clearly myself on the screen and the poo getting stuck within it.
I’ve not bothered with the Kegel thing - I reckon once the prolapse gets so far, exercise won’t correct it. I take laxatives like you (lactulose) as I’m terrified of getting constipated.
Perhaps you’ll need to ask them to consider surgery too? - it’s obviously really affecting your quality of life.
I'm a little further forward. I went back to the private physio. She is pretty sure it's pudendal neuralgia. It does seem to fit my syptoms. She thinks it may have been caused by too many kegals and keeping my pelvic floor muscles clenched all the time. (In an effort to lessen that horrible dropping feeling ). She told me to stop all kegals and gave me stretching exercises to do. She also advised a short course of nerve suppressants to calm things down. Once everything has calmed down the plan is for her to do some trigger point release and then gradually start some very gentle kegals.
I had a fight with my gp to get the medication but I collected it today and start it tonight. I just pray it does calm down the aching.
My physio is still saying surgery definitely not needed and consultant says it often leads to other problems so I'm happy not to go down that route.
Stopping the kegals and doing stretches had made the ache slightly more tolerable as has trying not to sit for too long. But the dropping feeling is more noticeable.
I look kind of silly at work as I often try and type on the computer standing up! I've told them I have a compressed nerve in my tail bone, which is not too far from the truth as pudendal neuralgia is caused by compressed nerves. I can't bring myself to mention prolapse.
I will continue with kegals as soon as I can as they were improving the dropping feeling caused by the rectocele.
Some days are better than others but I'm optimistic most of the time and totally fed up at others.
Hi there, I realise your post is nearly a year old, but I wondered how you are doing, as I am suffering from symptoms very similar to yours, and I am trying to see what may help. Thank you in advance.
It's been an up and down journey so far and I am far from the end.
I saw the physio once a month before lock down and mostly we just talked and she added more stretches. She did do some trigger point release internally but it didn't make much difference. The nerve suppressants do make everything more manageable but some days are still quite painful.
I bought a wand on the recommendation of my physio but I rarely feel any "trigger points" and I'm not sure that I am doing it right. I have watched lots of you-tube videos but unfortunately lock down started before I could ask my physio to show my properly.
I try to religiously do my stretches every day and use the wand at home . I also try to vary my day so that I alternate between a sitting activity and moving about or standing, this seems to help. I have tried a variation of supplements but no real improvement. I do watch my diet well and supplement it with prunes or other fibre rich food to keep things moving,
At the moment my days can vary considerably. I can wake up with the ache already there and it can stay most of the day, then I get a day when I have hardly any symptoms all day. Usually it it somewhere in-between.
I think I have tried tracking everything from my diet to my exercise to my bowel movements to try and find a pattern but so far I can find no reason for the variation in days.
This all sounds like gloom and doom but no matter what, I still have an active life and work, I look after three grandchildren,elderly parents and maintain a fairly large garden. Reading some of the posts on this forum I consider my self lucky that I can do all this.
I will just continue with what I am doing and hope that things improve. I am researching more about the subject and feel that I understand my body better, I also need to get back to discuss all this with a physio and learn how to use the wand properly!
If anyone can recommend a good video please let me know.
Have you seen a physio yet as I would say that just discussing it with someone who understands is the most useful place to start. Good luck in your journey,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and update on your own experience. Like you I have reasonable days, and very bad days too. I am waiting currently for a physio, and trying to cope in the meantime, unfortunately my job involves standing for long periods and this does seem to make the bad days worse. Thank you again, it's so good to talk to someone who understands.
Hi there! I’ve just read the whole thread if your posts and it does seem my symptoms are identical to yours, although I’ve not had a diagnosis yet. Waiting for a referral to a lower GI specialist. I have had this yr alone for a different pain than I’m now having, a colonoscopy, CT scan and ultrasound, all of which showed nothing untoward (however they weren’t scanning for nerve damage at the time more to discount any tumours in the bowel). No doctor has ever suggested a prolapse. How was this diagnosed for you?
Hi, when I first went to my gp and described my sypmtons , examined me and diagnosed a mild cystocele. She got this totally wrong. The consultant and physio but said it was a rectocele.
Make sure that you have a defecating proctogram to see extent of rectocele, what grade it is.
You need to be checked for an enterocele also.
I have to do bowel irrigation to get faeces out of bowel, this is a very distressing condition. I also have intersusseption with mine....
Unfortunately, womens services are severely lacking along with the life changing effects of bladder and bowel prolapses.
Appalling services for older women I feel.
No one actually knows how pelvic floor nerves and muscles work making physio excersices, ( pelvic floor) not scientifically validated, never work for me.
Post menopause our ligaments can stretch and therefore we more susceptible to certain pelvic prolapses.
Women's issue are negated quite often or minimised by a dysfunctional male led area of women's medicine, I.e. gynaecology services!
Medical gaslighting is not uncommon making us women feel we are going mad. Disgusting.
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