My experience with a prolapse even though I’ve never been pregnant
I am the clinic director at Lady Bird Physical Therapy, I am 32 years old, I’ve been a pelvic floor physical therapist for over 7 years, I have never been pregnant and at my first pelvic health continuing education class, I was told I had a prolapse.
You read that right!
I remember the other student told me sheepishly that she thought I had one and I told her to get out of my vagina and go get the TA (teaching assistant) so she could assess me. I was mortified! I was 25 at the time and I thought there was no way I could have a prolapse. The TA (who was my coworker, which also felt horrifying) confirmed and I couldn’t believe it. I thought “I don’t leak, I’m not constipated, I haven’t had kids” how could I have one.
But then like in a movie, a narrator in my head said, actually..
You have leaked before.
You have been constipated.
What are you talking about!?
I was a collegiate athlete (softball pitcher) and after we won a particularly stressful game, I was jumping up and down with my teammates in celebration and I leaked. I never thought anything of it and didn’t think it was a big deal at the time. In hindsight I have also realized that over my lifetime I would strain if I was in a hurry to get things out.
Currently I am asymptomatic, meaning I have a prolapse, but no leakage, heaviness or any other issues and you can’t tell that I have one unless I bear down while you’re looking at my vagina. Then you can see it.
And believe it or not, I am not alone! A lot of people have a prolapse and do not even know it. They may not become symptomatic for years later depending on when/if they have children or some other factor. Contributing factors to having a prolapse (besides having kids) are constipation, chronic coughing, and difficulty managing intra abdominal pressure. (The last one think holding your breath to lift weights, pick up things, etc). And not everyone who develops a prolapse experiences typical prolapse symptoms.
The point of my sharing this story is to serve as a reminder that a prolapse diagnosis is not the end. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to run, jump, lift heavy things or have sex again. It is very possible to have a mild prolapse and have no issues whatsoever. I fully expect that I’ll be able to manage my prolapse on my own (perks of being a pelvic floor PT!) without having to avoid certain exercises or movements.
If you are symptomatic and are experiencing leakage or heaviness from a prolapse, physical therapy can help you with that! If you’re not experiencing symptoms, but think you might have a prolapse, PT can help prevent the prolapse from ever becoming an issue. Give us a call at 512-766-2649 or message us here to set up an appointment with one of our amazing pelvic floor physical therapists!
By Dr. Jessica Chastka, PT, DPT, WCS
Jessica (she/her) earned her Bachelor’s in Exercise Science from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, while playing softball. She received a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in August 2015. In 2019 she became Board Certified in Women’s Health, through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists.
For the last five years she has been working as a pelvic floor physical therapist, treating people who have pelvic pain, leakage, urgency, frequency and constipation. This includes the pregnant and postpartum population as well as people with chronic pain. She is passionate about making her patients feel heard and seen, validating those who feel that their problems are not worth mentioning because everyone has them or because embarrassed to talk about them.