What Is a Prolapsed Uterus?

Your uterus (or womb) is normally held in place inside your pelvis with various muscles, tissue, and ligaments. Because of pregnancy, childbirth, or difficult labor and delivery, in some women, these muscles weaken. Also, as a woman ages and with a natural loss of the hormone estrogen, their uterus can drop into the vaginal canal, causing the condition known as a prolapsed uterus.

Muscle weakness or relaxation may allow your uterus to sag or come completely out of your body in various stages:

First degree: The cervix drops into the vagina.

Second degree: The cervix drops to the level just inside the opening of the vagina.

Third degree: The cervix is outside the vagina.

Fourth degree: The entire uterus is outside the vagina. This condition is also called procidentia. This is caused by weakness in all of the supporting muscles.

Other conditions are usually associated with a prolapsed uterus. They weaken the muscles that hold the uterus in place:

Cystocele:A herniation (or bulging) of the upper front vaginal wall where a part of the bladder bulges into the vagina. It’s also called a prolapsed bladder. This may lead to urinary frequency, urgency, retention, and incontinence (loss of urine).

Enterocele:The herniation of the upper rear vaginal wall where a small bowel portion bulges into the vagina. Standing leads to a pulling sensation and backache that is relieved when you lie down.

Rectocele:: The herniation of the lower rear vaginal wall where the rectum bulges into the vagina. This makes bowel movements difficult, to the point that you may need to push on the inside of your vagina to empty your bowel.