Grades of uterine prolapse

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Uterine prolapse is a condition in which the uterus drops into the vaginal canal or outside the vagina because the pelvic floor muscles and ligaments are stretched, unable to support the uterus. This is a disease that can affect any woman, but the following people are most at risk:
Postpartum women, especially those who give birth vaginally, long labor period or large fetus Pre-menopausal women, elderly women who are active after giving birth

Uterine prolapse is a disease of unknown cause. However, based on the symptoms, there can be some underlying causes such as:
An injured woman has the pelvic floor, the tissues that support the uterus, or the uterus contracts during childbirth, typically during the transition. After giving birth, when the uterus has not fully contracted, the mother has to work hard, causing the uterus to prolapse. Uterine birth defects: double-chambered uterus, abnormal neck and waist length,... Women with constipation or difficulty in defecation after birth, increased intra-abdominal pressure. Medical interventions such as: cesarean section, laparoscopy, manual removal of the placenta or the use of oxytocin.

To distinguish the degree of uterine prolapse, people divide this phenomenon into the following levels:
Level 1: is the mildest level, at this time the uterus has prolapsed but is still in the vaginal canal Level 2: the uterus is retracted outside the vaginal opening and can be seen with a lot of activity or heavy work Level 3: The whole uterus has been retracted outside the vagina, visible to the eye pink uterus , as big as a chicken egg. This is the rarest case, when the uterus is very likely to become infected and require surgical removal due to the inability of the uterus to contract on its own.

Each person will have a different symptom of uterine prolapse, depending on the severity of the disease, if in mild cases, it is difficult for patients to detect signs of disease, because these manifestations are often not obvious. It also doesn't interfere much with daily life.
Level 1: The patient has signs of heaviness in the abdomen before menstruation, when standing for a long time or doing heavy work, there are signs of back pain, lower abdominal pain, wanting to urinate many times but not much urine Level 2: Level 2 heavier, painful defecation, thin white or mucus discharge, abnormal vaginal bleeding,... During sex, a woman feels that the uterus is sagging outside the vaginal opening. Level 3: At this level, the manifestations are more severe and dangerous, the uterus appears edematous, festering, swollen ulcers, even yellow discharge. Patients may have fever, constipation, and many other symptoms. These symptoms can be confused with some diseases such as ovarian cysts or uterine fibroids. That's why it's so important to diagnose and treat the disease.

Depending on the severity of the disease, the patient's age and health status, as well as other accompanying problems, the doctor will recommend an appropriate treatment method.
For mild disease, the symptoms of the disease do not affect life much, so elderly patients need to focus on resting, avoiding strenuous activities and always keeping a comfortable mind. Provide adequate nutrition, supplement necessary substances for the body through a balanced diet, avoid constipation.
For severe uterine prolapse, topical vaginal estrogen therapy should be applied to strengthen ligaments and muscles. Use the method of using small vaginal support circles to fix the uterus in the correct position. If the condition of the uterus is inflamed, causing dangerous complications, the patient needs to have a partial or total hysterectomy.
If the patient is not treated promptly, this phenomenon can cause some dangerous complications of uterine prolapse such as:
Vaginal ulcers: When the uterus drops, a part of the vaginal lining protrudes. The outside of the vagina causes rubbing against the pants, leading to sores and infections in the vagina Other pelvic organ prolapse: A prolapse of the pelvic organs such as the rectum and bladder when the disease is severe. This makes it difficult for the patient to excrete and even increases the risk of urinary tract infections.

Preventing uterine prolapse is not too difficult if women can perform the following methods:
Maintain a reasonable rest regimen. Do not get out of bed to exercise vigorously or work too hard after giving birth. Maintain health, exercise gently after recovering to limit postpartum constipation. Do not push if you have difficulty passing stools. Diet high in fiber, drink plenty of water to help laxatives. Do the right exercises, exercises that strengthen the contractions of the hip and anal muscles. Uterine prolapse is a disease that causes many difficulties in women's daily life, especially postpartum women. If not treated promptly, the disease can cause dangerous complications such as anal ulcers, prolapse of other pelvic organs. Therefore, postpartum women should pay attention, when seeing abnormal signs, they should immediately go to a medical facility for examination and timely intervention.
Treatment of genital prolapse has different effective surgical treatment methods. Depending on the extent of the examination, the doctor will prescribe medical or surgical intervention. At Vinmec International General Hospital, robotic laparoscopic surgery is the optimal method for genital prolapse. With this method, the patient will have advantages such as non-recurrence of the disease, preservation of the uterus and resolution of accompanying urinary symptoms of the disease.