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It’s like secret women’s business that few women know or want to talk about until it’s too late.
Prolapse — it is a deeply personal horror story I’m living with along with many others, and I wish I had known more about it earlier.
I feel like I have lost my freedom to do so many things.
After childbirth, the pressure to get your pre-baby body back is intense.
But the desire and need for strong bodies can be fraught with pitfalls, if you don’t realise the damage done from childbirth.
I pride myself on keeping fit, I think my love of pilates, yoga and lots of heavy lifting in the garden have contributed to the problem.
According to the Continence Foundation of Australia (CFA), half of all women over the age of 50 who have given birth have some level of prolapse.
That is when the ligaments are stretched or there is trauma to the muscles which allows the bladder, uterus and or bowel to effectively slip down and either protrude into the vagina or press against the wall of the vagina.
Described as a silent epidemic, the CFA said one in five Australian women required medical help for prolapse in their lifetime.
It is an issue that also impacts many younger women resulting in bladder or bowel incontinence.
