Pelvic Organ Prolapse: What To Ask Your Doctor Before Surgery

If you’ve recently discovered that you have a pelvic organ prolapse, you might be feeling anxious about what happens next. 

For the most part, women with prolapse don’t even realise there’s anything wrong and only discover it due to another internal examination – for instance, a cervical screening test.

In some cases, however, the symptoms can be painful, and the route after diagnosis includes pelvic organ prolapse surgery in order to rectify the issue.

If this is something you are going through, then it’s important to stay calm and remember that your doctor is there to help you emotionally as well as physically. 

With this in mind, here are the most important things to talk about with your doctor before the procedure, ensuring that your mind is at rest and you know what to expect:  

Ask Them About The Procedure 

First off, it can be easy to get carried away with negative thoughts before any surgery. The best way to counteract this is by getting all the facts. Talk to your doctor about the procedure and what it involves. 

Ordinarily, prolapse surgeries are simple. The surgeons will make an incision into the wall of the vagina. They will then use a self-retaining surgical retractor to keep the incision open, pull the loose or torn tissue in the area of the prolapsed organ, and strengthen the wall to keep the prolapse from coming back. 

Learning all of this and hearing about your specific surgery with your doctor can help ease any anxiety and help you feel far more confident in the operation.

Ask Them About The Risks

That being said, it’s also important to remember that there are risks to surgery, and some types of prolapse surgery have greater risks than others. 

With this in mind, you need to talk to your doctor and weigh up all of the potential benefits with the risks – both long-term and short-term. You can then talk about alternatives if you decide that the risks are too great.

As mentioned before, mild or moderate prolapses might not necessarily need surgery to correct, especially if it is not causing you pain or interrupting your everyday life. 

Ask Them About What You Can Do

Lastly, if you are about to undergo surgery, the most important thing to ask your doctor is what you have to do before and after in order to make it a success. 

In the case of prolapse surgery, it’s important to prepare by maintaining a healthy diet, doing pelvic floor exercises, bowel management and regular exercise. In regards to dieting, weight management is a crucial part of long-term management after the surgery is complete, so it’s important to maximise your recovery before the surgery even begins with a strong, stable diet. 

After the surgery is done, you will need to ask about when you can return to work and to the activities you are used to. The timeline will always vary depending on the surgery, so make sure to ask your doctor about your specific case and get all the information you need before the day of the procedure.