Pelvic organ prolapse (NHS)

Tier 1: Established: peer-reviewed research or government health authority
Publisher: National Health Service · Published: September 12, 2026 · Accessed: September 12, 2026

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Claims this source supports

• Pelvic organ prolapse is common in women over 50 and can affect anyone with a vagina; it may cause no symptoms at all, and is sometimes found during tests done for another reason.
• Symptoms can include a feeling of heaviness, discomfort or pressure in the lower tummy or vagina, feeling or seeing a bulge inside or coming out of the vagina, pain, discomfort or numbness during sex, constipation, and bladder problems such as not emptying fully, going more often, or leaking when you cough, sneeze or exercise.
• Prolapse happens when the pelvic floor muscles weaken; it is more common as you get older, particularly after the menopause, and can be caused by pregnancy and childbirth, being overweight, long-term constipation and straining, persistent coughing, pelvic surgery such as hysterectomy, and connective-tissue conditions.
• If you have a lump in or around the vagina, or other symptoms of prolapse, see a GP; diagnosis may involve a pelvic examination (with a chaperone available), and a diagnosed prolapse may be graded 1 to 4 by severity.
• Treatment depends on which organs have prolapsed and how severe it is: if it is not bothering you, you may not need treatment; options include vaginal hormone treatment, vaginal support pessaries, physiotherapy and pelvic floor muscle training with a specialist women's health physiotherapist, and surgery if it is severe.
• Self-help the NHS lists includes maintaining a healthy weight, more fibre and water and gentle exercise to avoid constipation, avoiding heavy lifting, running and trampolining, doing regular pelvic floor exercises, and not smoking; vaginal mesh surgery is no longer done on the NHS unless there is no alternative.