I can’t tell you the amount of things women worry about when it comes to their bodies. Every time you think your body feels normal you’re reminded it’s not.
Your period symptoms change every other month, the symptoms for POCS, endometriosis, and fibroids are pretty much all the same leading to a whole lot of diagnosis confusion and then there’s childbirth.
If you didn’t think there could be anything more to worry about, it turns out your uterus could fall out – fantastic.
In TikTok user @onlyjayus’s video, she shared weird human body facts and this one made us a bit terrified. “If you’re a person with a vagina, you should probably try and do some kegels every now and then,” she says.
The user goes on to say that if the muscles we have in our vagina aren’t strong enough, our uterus could fall out. It turns out that there’s a name for this: pelvic organ prolapse.
According to Dignity Health, a prolapsed uterus occurs when the uterus falls or drops into the vagina. It’s actually quite common amongst women who are 50 to 80 years old. It can also cause problems with your urination and can mess up your sex life.
Symptoms of a dropped uterus include:
- Pressure in the pelvic region or vagina
- Issues with urinating, pain when using the toilet, urine retention, repeated bladder infections, or urine leakage
- Difficulty passing a bowel movement
- Feeling like your internal organs are falling out
- Visible tissue bulging from your vagina
- Bleeding from the vagina
- An increase in discharge
- Pain in the lower back
- Problems when you’re having sex
A prolapsed uterus has several common causes including:
- Pregnancy, especially delivering a large baby
- Aging: losing estrogen after menopause can weaken the pelvic muscles that support the uterus
- Long-term constipation: pressure on the bowel movements puts extra stress on the pelvic muscles over time
- Obesity
- An instrument-assisted delivery (like a forceps or vacuum-assisted birth)
I know this all sounds a bit scary but there are ways you can prevent this. The first is by practicing kegel exercises. You can do this by making sure your bladder is empty and tightening your pelvic floor muscles for a few seconds. You should make this a weekly practice.
Other ways you can prevent uterine prolapse are:
- Avoiding heavy lifting, especially after birth
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Preventing constipation