“I Felt Something Coming Down Below”: A Case of POP

Abstract

Pelvic floor disorders, which includes pelvic organ prolapse (POP), have shown an increasing prevalence among women worldwide. (Wu 2014) It is perceived as embarrassment and affect the women’s quality of life. A 68-year-old housewife, Para 3, complained of a 50-cent coin size lump coming down from her vagina since 2019, which could be reduced back manually inside the vagina. The symptom exacerbated by straining and carrying heavy objects. Ignoring the symptom, causing the lump to increase in size and protruded out from her vagina for the past 2 months. She had 3 SVD with maximum birth weight of 3.75kg and a prolonged second stage of labour in her second pregnancy. She was not aware and never practiced pelvic floor exercise nor taken any HRT. There were no urinary symptoms nor constipation. Her BMI is 25.2kg/m2. Abdominal examination was unremarkable. On speculum examination, vagina was atrophic and third degree uterine prolapse was evident. She was arranged to have Vaginal hysterectomy, anterior colporrhaphy and sacrospinous fixation done. The positive risk factors in this case are multiparity, menopausal status, a history of prolonged labor and frequent heavy lifting. The delay in presentation is due to lack of awareness. It was also found in a study that feeling of embarrassment and social stigma could be the reason. (Abhyankar 2019) Pelvic Floor exercise and avoidance of heavy lifting may be beneficial at onset of symptom. For conclusion, POP awareness is crucial to empower women to prevent POP and seek treatment as soon as they are symptomatic.

International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Supplementary Issue-2: 2021 Page: S24