Fitness After 40

***Though this discussion is geared toward women, men who have women in their lives will benefit greatly from this discussion as well. I hope you are able to sweat through it, as it may one day help a damsel in unnecessary distress. Due to the length, this discussion will be broken up into a few different posts. I will have one new post each day until the basics of each topic are covered.***

Pelvic Support Problems

The name of this site is Fitness After 40. Over the age of 40 we have unique things happen to our body. Some are great. Some are humiliating. We will be talking about the humiliating; pelvic support problems and hormone imbalance. In doing so, I will be relating my own personal experience and knowledge gained.

Why have I chosen to discuss these two topics and how does this relate to my “big announcement?” Yesterday, I had an appointment with my doctor. For the last month-and-a-half my body has been behaving in a manner that is interfering greatly in my quality of life. After an in-depth exam, I was informed I must have pelvic floor reconstructive surgery in order to repair the severe collapse of my pelvic floor.

My doctor also diagnosed me with stress urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, and to top it off, my hormones are out of whack. I am either in menopause or my thyroid is underactive. I will get the test results for the hormones and thyroid back Wednesday. Either way, this must be treated, and the doctor is quite certain that my hormonal imbalance is the reason I am unable to lose fat, among other things. Were it not for my exercise routine and 1200 calorie per day diet he is quite certain I would be gaining fat (that middle age spread) as opposed to holding steady.

Though these problems are not uncommon, according to my doctor, many women are so embarrassed by their symptoms that they will not discuss their problems with their spouse, friends, or seek treatment, and therefore suffer needlessly. And, the longer you go without treatment the greater the problem becomes. Therefore, my “big announcement” is my diagnoses.

It is my hope that by sharing my journey it will help another woman seek medical help, and share her story with others. In so doing, we remove any “stigma” that may be attached to these conditions while encouraging others who are unnecessarily enduring easily treatable problems.

The main cause of a prolapse is childbirth. As the baby passes through the vagina, the fascia and ligaments, which support the pelvic organs, may be damaged, and become weak. Of course, this can also happen, as a natural result of aging, with women who have never given birth.

In 2001, I gave birth to twins. The pregnancy was hard on my body. I spent 55 days in the hospital, on bed rest, and gained 75 pounds. One year after their birth, I had to have a hysterectomy due to uterine prolapse.  My uterus and cervix were surgically removed.

Types of Prolapse

A prolapse is when your insides literally begin to fall, sometimes right out of the opening of your vagina. There are four main types of pelvic support prolapse, caused by the following pelvic organs:

Cystocele- bladder

Vaginal vault prolapse with enterocele – vagina and small intestine.

Rectocele- rectum

Uterine prolapse – uterus

Although each prolapse occurs in different pelvic organs, they do often occur at the same time. I have been diagnosed as having cystocele, vaginal vault, enterocele, and rectocele prolapse. Remember, my uterus was removed seven years ago.

Symptoms

The symptoms vary, depending on which organs are involved. You may be symptom free, or you may suffer major problems in the way your organs work. Symptoms include:

Feeling of pelvic heaviness or fullness, or as though something is falling out of the vagina. (Check)

Pulling or aching feeling in the lower abdomen or pelvis. (Check)

Leakage of urine or problems having a bowel movement. (Check)

Painful intercourse.

Pressure in the vagina or pelvis that usually decreases when lying down. (Check)

Enlarged vaginal opening.

Frequent lower back pain. (Check)

Vaginal pain, pressure, irritation, bleeding or spotting.

You may become more aware of these symptoms if you have been standing for a long time or at the end of the day. The symptoms may worsen by repeated coughing, lifting, or straining.

In severe cases, the pelvic organs may bulge into the vagina, like a hernia. This bulge may actually protrude out of the vaginal opening, where it may be seen with a mirror or felt with the fingers. It may become so bad that a woman may need to push the organs back into the vagina in order to empty her bladder or have a bowel movement. Though I do not yet have to push my organs back in, my organs are bulging, albeit slightly, out of my vaginal opening.

If the uterus is sticking out of the vaginal opening, it may become irritated, develop small sores, or become infected.

Those of you following my P90X journey may recall I began complaining of lower back pain, about a month-and-a-half-ago, that was interfering in my abdominal workout. Though I was able to perform the exercise routine, the lower back pain caused great difficulty.

And, if you have been a frequent visitor to my site, you will know I was running and performing high intensity interval training. Suddenly I quit discussing it. Well, that’s because I had to quit. I could not run two blocks without suddenly feeling as if I was going to wet my pants.

Join me tomorrow as we discuss cystocele, stress urinary incontinence, and overactive bladder.

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