A prolapse is a descent of any of the different organs found in the pelvis through the vagina. On many occasions, it can cause a feeling of heaviness in the vagina (such as the sensation of wearing a mispositioned tampon, pressure, or a lump in the vagina), as well as some urine or fecal leakage or difficulties to hold in gas.

There are many types of prolapse depending on the descending organ, but they usually have a common treatment, which is working on improving the muscle tone of the pelvic floor. This is achieved with specific exercises, but especially with an improvement of body control and awareness by:

• Improving posture: avoid slouching so you don’t put too much pressure on the abdomen, keep a straight but not tense position when sitting, try to support the bones under the buttocks and not the buttocks alone.
• Improve breathing: avoid taking short, shallow breaths or breathing exclusively through the mouth, but at least once a day take deep, conscious breaths and try to take air in through the nose and out through the mouth.
• Improve hip movement: doing mobility exercises to help the whole pelvis move and avoid the sensation of stiffness or lack of movement.
• Improve contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles by doing exercises that focus exclusively on moving them or by considering to contract them during sports, exercise, or training.

Change in urination or defecation habits:

• When urinating: never stop breathing, take deep breaths, do not arch or bend the back, and keep a straight back without tension. Don’t run or rush in the bathroom (even if this means urinating with the baby in your arms most of the time).
• When defecating (passing stools): never stop breathing, take deep breaths, do not arch or bend your back and keep a straight back but without tension, use a foot stool to support your feet and if at some point you feel the need to push, at least push out the air by making the sound of an S with your lips to resist the outflow of air.

Following these suggestions, the feeling of heaviness usually improves, as some bad habits that damage the pelvic floor daily can be eliminated.

Good nutrition and the amount of fluids a woman drinks can help to improve the quality of her internal tissues, preventing prolapse from progressing in the long term.

However, even with all of these recommendations in mind, it is still advisable that if any of the symptoms are still present, in addition to seeing an appropriate specialist, it is recommended that the woman seeks a pelvic floor physiotherapist to assess if she is doing the exercises correctly and without damaging her pelvic floor.