Archive of Exercises, Precautions & Natural Cures for Uterine Prolapse, (aka uterus displacement/ womb displacement or procidentia)
Uterus or the womb hangs freely in the pelvic cavity. It can move in all directions supported by pelvic tissues and ligaments.
What is Uterine Prolapse?
Uterine Prolapse (aka uterus displacement/ womb displacement or procidentia) is a condition in which:
1) The pelvic muscles and ligaments that hold the uterus in place start sagging resulting in a downward displacement of the uterus between the bladder and the rectum. (moderate or mild uterine displacement)
2) Tissues are damaged to the extent that Uterus eventually falls in the vaginal canal (Uterovaginal prolapse)
Causes & Symptoms of uterine prolapse
|Causes of Uterine Prolapse||Symptoms of Uterine Prolapse|
|Weakening, Damage, Laceration or Stress in the muscles due to:
Distension of uterus during multiple pregnancies or vaginal deliveries
Loss of estrogen
Deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals that are required to tone the muscles.
|Feeling of something projecting or something about to fall out of the vagina.
A feeling of heaviness, pressure or something sticking in the pelvic area
Abdominal or Back pain.
Heaviness or Costiveness in the bowels
Fatigue, Weariness, irritability and depression as allied symptoms
Uterine displacement if not treated timely can have a significant bearing on the quality of life. Urinary incontinence, Inability to conceive and reduced sexual pleasure are the most common fall outs of uterine prolapse.
Uterine Prolapse: Possible modes of treatment
The best way to deal with uterine displacement is the naturopathic course. Surgery may incapacitate the patient for a long period of time, not to mention the pain, risks and expenses involved. Natural Cures may take only a few months to bring considerable relief.
In general, the following course of treatment is followed for curing Uterine Prolapse.
1) Mild prolapse: Pelvic muscle training with specific exercises help prevent uterine prolapse.
2) If uterine prolapse is caused by estrogen deficiency – creams, suppositories and oral medications may be used. In some cases, estrogen-based hormone therapy may be required.
3) If displacement of uterus becomes troublesome, doctors advise surgical interference which involves tying the distended ligaments.
4) Alternatively doctors may fit a pessary to keep the uterus in its right
place. This acts as a palliative but fails to help the muscles resume their lost
strength or former shape.
5) Synthetic prosthesis or pessary treatment may be considered to replace or support the the perinea muscles suspension of the bladder.
Exercises for treatment of prolapsed uterus
Uterine Displacement is a disorder where natural treatment and exercises are very effective in strengthening and toning the tissues that hold the uterus. Pelvic muscles, like any other muscle needs exercise to stay strong.
However, you cannot expect immediate results with exercise. It may take up to 6 months for good results. The more advanced the displacement, the longer the period it takes for recovery.
Exercising also helps eliminate incontinence and reduces the possibilities of pelvic cancer.
Uterine Prolapse Exercise #1 Keep a hard pillow under your buttocks, instead of keeping it under your head. Sleeping in this position is perhaps the best and simplest exercise for uterine prolapse as it allows the uterus to return to its former position under the effect of gravity.
This exercise is also suitable for women with protruding abdomen, who might find other exercises to be difficult in the beginning.
Uterine Prolapse Exercise #2 Kegel Exercise: Kegel exercises (named after the doctor who taught them) are very effective in revitalizing the pelvic muscles. Doing Kegel exercises for 10 minutes daily can make a significant difference in correcting the displacement of uterus.
The exercise begins with identifying the pelvic muscles that hold the uterus. To identify the right muscles, start by trying to stop the flow of urine. The muscles that contract to stop urination are the muscles that hold the uterus and they are the ones that need to be toned.
Alternatively, you can locate the pelvic muscles by lying down and inserting a finger into the vagina. Again act as if you are trying to stop urine flow. The muscles that tighten around your finger are the pelvic muscles that need exercising.
For doing this exercise, Lie on the bed, tighten the pelvic muscles, holding for 3-5 seconds. Relax muscles for another 3-5 seconds. Repeat at least 5-7 times in each session and do up to 3 sessions a day.
Try to gradually work your way up to 10-15 repetitions in each session. Keep patience, as it may take weeks or even months before you start noticing difference. Other variants of this exercise involves doing the same practices in sitting and standing posture.
Do not hold your breath or stretch other muscles while doing Kegel exercises. Stretching the wrong muscles can further aggravate stress on the bladder and may do more harm than good. The best way to do this is to imagine that you are trying to stop the natural action of the bladder during urination.
Uterine Prolapse Exercise #3 This exercise should be done on empty stomach, preferably in the morning. Lie on your back on the floor and lift your legs alternately without bending your knees. After doing this for about a minute, lift and move both legs as if you are cycling. Do this for about a minute. While still lying, lift your
waist, so that your body arches upwards while your head and heels still remain in contact with the floor. Push your abdomen in an out alternately in that arched position, as you continue to breathe deeply. Repeat this for few minutes.
Uterine Prolapse Exercise #4 Lie in the arch position, as stated above in exercise#2. Move your waist to the left and then to the right while maintaining the contact of your head and heels with the ground.
Uterine Prolapse Exercise #5 Lie on the floor with face down. Raise your abdomen, while keeping the feet and thighs in contact with the floor. Move your abdomen up and down for around 10 minutes or as long as you feel comfortable.
Precautions to prevent prolapse of uterus
To prevent prolapse of the uterus:
– Perform household chores in a sitting position.
– Do regular exercises to maintain the tone of pelvic muscles
– After meals, lie down with a pillow under your buttock.
– Keep a tab on body weight. Obese women are more likely to witness uterine prolapse
– Avoid lifting heavy weights as it puts undue pressure on the abdomen.
– Don’t smoke. Smoking tends to aggravate symptoms of prolapse
– Monitor with regular physical pelvic examination using speculum combined with palpation of abdomen and labdomen
– Women above 55 years of age, with a prolapse concern may consider undergoing estrogen replacement therapy (ERT).
Natural Cure for Uterine Prolapse
Bed rest: Rest is vital for allowing time to the muscles to relax and tone up. Rest is a vital element of natural cure for uterine prolapse. A fortnight of complete bed rest provides relief from allied symptoms of uterine prolapse. Exertions of any kind should be avoided during bed rest.
Fasting: Women suffering from uterine displacement might consider fasting on fruit juices for up to three days. Fasting relieves pressure from the abdomen area and spares the pelvic muscles from carrying additional burden. This provides time for revitalization of the pelvic muscles. Fasting also helps clean the body of toxic radicals.
Juice of apples, cherries, dates, pomegranates and beetroot must be be taken during this period. Avoid all other fruits as they inhibit the formation of estrogen. Fasting, can be continued for a longer period of time under the supervision of qualified
Epsom salt bath: Epsom salt is rich in magnesium and sulphates. Magnesium helps ease muscular tension, regulate body enzymes and prevents hardening of tissues. Sulfates help in absorption of essential nutrients and in flushing toxic radicals from the body. Thus Epsom salt bath is effective in revitalizing pelvic muscles. For taking this bath, add about 1-1.5 kg of Epsom salt in warm bathing water. The patient should then immerse his pelvic areas in the water for around twenty minutes.
Hip/ Sitz Bath: Hip/ Sitz bath is beneficial in treatment and cure of displaced uterus. For this, the water level in the tub should be up to the navel. Rub your abdomen and other parts immersed in water, vigorously. After coming out of the tub, rub the wet pelvic area with a rough towel.
Massage of abdomen with Olive oil: Olive oil has many benefits in treatment of uterine prolapse. For one, it is rich in estrogen and compensates for the loss of estrogen, which is a major cause of displacement of uterus. External application of olive oil, is known to improve blood circulation and thus helps in revitalizing the pelvic tissues.
Dietary recommendations for treatment of Uterine displacement
Diet constitutes an important constituent in holistic treatment of uterine prolapse. The following are advised:
Food high in Estrogen: Lack of estrogen is the prime cause of uterine displacement, especially in older women. Food rich in estrogen, compensate for this deficiency. This includes eggplant, alfalfa, flaxseeds, aniseed, baker’s yeast, pomegranates, parsley, barley, pepper, beets, split peas, cherries, black- eyed peas, cucumber, dates, eggs, fennel, licorice, oats, papaya, green peas, plums, red beans, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and yams.
In general, many leguminous roots are rich in estrogen. A liberal intake of estrogen rich food is very effective natural cure for alleviating and providing relief from symptoms of uterine prolapse.
Food rich in Proteins: Proteins are the building blocks for our body muscles. Pelvic muscles are no exception to this. Food rich in protein provide strength and helps tone up muscles. White egg, Whole grain pastas, Lentils and Soybeans are rich sources of protein. A liberal intake of low fat, protein is effective in treatment and cure of uterine prolapse.
Minerals for natural treatment of Uterine Prolapse
The exact role played by different minerals in preventing uterine displacement has not yet been clearly elucidated. However uterine displacement is often associated with deficiency of zinc, magnesium and calcium
Zinc rich food: Of all the minerals, zinc deficiency is one of the most important nutritional cause of displacement of uterus. Zinc has important attributes which help in regulating enzymes, healing wounds and repair and growth of tissues. Given these attributes, Zinc has been found very effective home cure for uterine prolapse.
Natural sources of Zinc include brewer’s yeast, green leafy vegetable, oysters,
pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Wheat bran. A liberal intake of these foods is effective in alleviating conditions related to uterine displacement.
Magnesium rich food: Magnesium has essential attributes which relieves muscular tension and helps maintain muscular tonality. Deficiency of magnesium is known to cause muscle rigidity, which is a prime cause of uterine prolapse. Food rich in Magnesium include apples , soybeans, nuts, green leafy vegetables, peaches and almonds. Intake of these foods help address magnesium deficiency and is helpful in treatment of uterine prolapse.
Calcium rich food: Calcium is needed for bone and tooth formation and muscle contraction. Calcium also aids in absorption of magnesium, which is so very vital for maintaining the desired tonality of pelvic muscles. An adult requires a daily intake of 10grams of calcium. Normal Staple food is naturally deficient in providing for this requirement. Food rich in Calcium includes Milk, Yoghurt, almonds, dark leafy vegetables, oats, sesame seeds, millet, navy beans, sunflower seeds and canned salmon/sardines. Excess calcium however, interferes with absorption of zinc in the body and should thus be taken in moderate quantities.
Foods to Avoid in Uterine Prolapse
There are not many food restrictions for patients of Uterine Prolapse. However the patient must avoid:
a) Fatty Foods: Accumulation of fat in abdomen can aggravate uterine prolapse. Avoid all fatty foods.
b) Estrogen inhibiting food: Certain foods are known to inhibit formation of estrogen in the body and should be avoided. This includes pineapples, millet, onion, broccoli, pears, cabbage, corn, berries, buckwheat, grapes, citrus foods, figs, green beans, melons, squashes and white rice.
Tag: Natural Cure for Uterus displacement, Exercise for womb displacement