Treatment of Female Organ Prolapse

Are you a woman who is frustrated or embarrassed because you leak urine unexpectedly – such as when you're physically active or when you sneeze, cough or laugh? If so, you are not alone. Urinary incontinence, as well as feelings of heaviness in the pelvic area, vaginal pain, irritation or bleeding, may be symptoms of female organ prolapse, a condition that affects millions of women worldwide.

At the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), our doctors work collaboratively and perform procedures to treat female organ prolapse and help women resume normal lives.

• About Female Organ Prolapse
• Risk Factors
• Common Symptoms
• Surgery
• About Us
• More About Drs. Newsom and Salvay

About Female Organ Prolapse

Female organ prolapse is a condition in which the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue in and around the vagina begin to weaken. This causes the bladder, uterus and other organs located in the pelvic region to fall from their normal position. Although many women are embarrassed to talk about their symptoms, female organ prolapse affects millions of women.
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Risk Factors

Female organ prolapse occurs gradually over time in women who have had children and are in their 30s to 60s. Women whose immediate family members have had the condition may also be at increased risk, as it is hereditary. Heavy lifting or straining also contributes to the development of this condition.

Many women write off the symptoms of female organ prolapse to getting older or being out of shape, but you do not need to suffer in silence — female organ prolapse can be treated.
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Common Symptoms

Although many women with female organ prolapse do not experience symptoms, some of the most common symptoms include:

• Incontinence (leaking urine)
• Needing to go to the bathroom with increased urgency and/or frequency
• Pressure in the vagina or pelvis
• Pelvic discomfort/low back pain
• A decrease in pain or pressure when lying down
• A lump at the opening of the vagina
• Recurrent urinary tract infections
• Painful intercourse
• Back pain

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Surgery

Your gynecologist can often treat simple cases of female organ prolapse. However, advanced cases may require a more specialized procedure. To repair prolapse in which incontinence is a problem for the patient, Dr. Newsom surgically implants a polypropelene mesh that supports the prolapsed (sagging or relaxed) pelvic organs. The urethral mesh they use has been shown in research studies to be the safest device of its kind. It protects the urethra from downward motion when active or coughing to stop the leakage of urine. The polypropelene mesh, which has been shown in research studies to be the safest device of its kind, restricts the movement of the urethra to a normal range of motion.

The procedure is performed at Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center under general anesthesia/epidural, and requires a one to two-day hospital stay. The patient will have to restrict his or her activities for approximately one month and refrain from sexual intercourse for eight to 10 weeks to allow the body sufficient time to heal. The prolapse repair procedure is not recommended for women who plan to have more children.
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About Us

At the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), we regularly perform procedures that can treat female organ prolapse and provide relief to those who have the condition. PAMF Urologist Elizabeth Newsom, M.D., and Obstetrician/Gynecologist Howard Salvay, M.D., work as a team, and utilize state-of-the-art surgical techniques tailored to your needs. They compliment the surgical treatment of female organ prolapse with non-surgical methods, including lifestyle changes, exercises and medication.

Having two specialists working in a collaborative manner has provided many Santa Cruz-area residents with superior results, compared to the care provided by only a single practitioner.
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More About Drs. Newsom and Salvay

Elizabeth Newsom, M.D.

Dr. Newsom received her medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1985. She completed an internship and residency at the University of Michigan Hospitals. Dr. Newsom has professional interests in urinary incontinence and female genital prolapse, female urology, neuron-urology and robotic laparoscopic surgery. She is board certified in urology and is a member of the Society of Urodynamics and Urology.

Howard Salvay, M.D.

Dr. Salvay received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1976. He completed an internship at the University of California, Davis in 1978 and a residency at Kaiser Hospital in Sacramento in 1981. Dr. Salvay has professional interests in advanced laparoscopic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, pelvic reconstructive surgery and robotic surgery. He is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology.
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