National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Pelvic Support Problems is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Pelvic Support Problems
Also called: Cystocele, Enterocele, Pelvic prolapse, Rectocele
A woman's organs can shift position as she ages. Pregnancy, childbirth or being too heavy can stretch and weaken muscles that support your pelvic organs. A sheet of muscles and ligaments called the pelvic floor supports the uterus, small intestine, colon and bladder. If pelvic floor muscles are weak, your organs may drop. When they do, they bulge into the vagina. When that happens, you may feel like something is falling out of your vagina or you may have a sensation of fullness or pain. It can also become difficult to hold urine or have a bowel movement.
Some women with urine leakage can regain control by losing weight, cutting caffeine or doing special pelvic muscle exercises called Kegel exercises. A mechanical support device called a pessary helps some women. Surgery and medicines are other treatments.
-
Start Here
-
Kegel Exercise Tips
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- PDF
- Also available in Spanish
-
Pelvic Floor Disorders(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
-
Kegel Exercise Tips
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
.
For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
-
Overviews
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse(American Urogynecologic Society)
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse(Food and Drug Administration)
- Pelvic Support Problems(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
-
Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Ultrasound Imaging of the Pelvis(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
- Also available in Spanish
-
Treatment
- Anterior vaginal wall repair (surgical treatment of urinary incontinence) - slideshow
- Also available in Spanish
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse--Surgery(American Urogynecologic Society)
- Recommendations for Patients Considering Treatment for Pelvic Organ Prolapse with Surgical Mesh(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Urogynecologic Surgical Mesh Implants(Food and Drug Administration)
-
Prevention/Screening
- Prevention of Vaginal and Uterine Prolapse(American Urogynecologic Society)
- Return to top
-
Disease Management
- Kegel Exercises for Your Pelvic Muscles(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Lifestyle and Behavioral Changes: Improving Urinary Urgency, Frequency and Urge Incontinence(American Urogynecologic Society) - PDF
- Vaginal Pessary(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Specific Conditions
- Bladder Prolapse (Cystocele)(American Urological Association Foundation)
-
Cystocele (Fallen Bladder)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Enterocele(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Rectal Prolapse(American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons)
- Rectocele(American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons)
- Uterine Prolapse(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Return to top
-
Related Issues
- Talking with Your Doctor about Pelvic Floor Disorders(American Urogynecologic Society) - PDF
-
Urinary Retention(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Return to top
-
Videos
- Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy for Vaginal Vault Prolapse(OR-Live) - Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 9/17/2007
- Return to top
-
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Pelvic Organ Prolapse(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Uterine Prolapse(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Cystocele(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Pelvic Floor Disorders(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Rectal Prolapse(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Rectocele(National Institutes of Health)
- Return to top
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Pelvic Organ Prolapse
-
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
-
Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Glossary of Terms(American Urogynecologic Society)
- Return to top
-
Directories
- Find a Urogynecologist(American Urogynecologic Society)
- Return to top
-
Organizations
-
Patient Handouts
- Anterior vaginal wall repair
- Also available in Spanish
- Kegel exercises
- Also available in Spanish
-
Urinary Retention(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Uterine prolapse
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
