Bladder prolapse

The bladder is the organ that stores urine that is collected from the kidneys. The normal capacity of a bladder is 450 ml of urine. The bladder of a woman is held in its correct position in the body with the help of the walls of the vagina. However, with childbirth, these vaginal muscles stretch and tear and thus gets weakened. Though the vagina heals, it will not be as strong as before. It weakens to the extent that the bladder may slip from its right position. And this slipping of the bladder is called bladder prolapse.



The main factors that pose a risk for bladder prolapse are childbirth and menopause. After menopause, estrogen levels drop, resulting in a reduction of the toning of the vaginal walls. This in turn leads to a dropped bladder. And so women who have had children, and in menopause are at the highest risk of a bladder prolapse.

A woman suffering from bladder prolapse usually has leakage of urine and suffers from stress incontinence. When they laugh, cough and do other activities where the muscles of the abdomen are pushed down, urine gets squeezed out of the opening of the dropped bladder; and this is called stress incontinence.

The medical term for a bladder prolapse is cystocele. The doctor has to make a vaginal examination to confidently diagnose a bladder prolapse. In the examination, the woman is made to cough or maybe push so that it is possible for the doctor to evaluate the exact position of the bladder.

Bladder prolaspe treatment
The treatment for bladder prolapse depends on its severity. Different cases call for different treatment. Mild cases call for tightening of vaginal muscles with Kegel exercises wherein the bladder is held in place by the vagina. Women in the post menopausal period can also find some benefit with estrogen therapy with which the muscles are strengthened. It is also better to use vaginal lubricants to reduce vaginal irritation.

Sometimes the doctor may prescribe insertion of pessaries to hold the bladder in place. Sometimes the pessaries may cause irritation in the bladder and urethra. However, if it doesn’t then it is the best option for treating bladder prolapse. The serious cases of bladder prolapse may need surgery for its rectification. In this surgery, stitches are inserted for the restoration of support to the bladder.