Surgery or not? Rectocele & Cystocele

Hi Tilley. I highly recommend surgery and especially with what you have suffered for too long now. Mine done 8wks ago was pretty smooth sailing, other than an infection which responded quickly to antibugs. If it looks like you need perineal repair then they will do that anyway as if vag too tight they would need to perform the same as an episiotomy to gain wide enough access to do the repairs inside anyway. You've suffered for long enough - go get surgery. The people who sail through this don't generally come onto here, hence there seems to be alot of negative stories. You do need to have it done by a Urogynaecologist (not just Gynae) who has done them for a long time as I'm sure you will have a better outcome due to experience of the Surgeon. Ask how many the person you see to discuss it has done. My Surgeon has had less than 5% with problems after surgery and only ONE in thousands that he had to remove the sling a couple months after inserting it. So success rate is very very high. So long as you go to a top Urogynae who is very experienced in doing these repairs.

Hi Tilley as robyn has said it's not many that share positive outcomes on here, I'm sure there must be many good outcomes but I am also 58 and menapause worsened my prolapse, I too had difficulty with intercourse. But 7 weeks on deeply regret having surgery. My bladder has caused untold misery and today I am getting back in touch with consultant, the pain has been horrendous. I don't know how much longer I can cope with this. Good luck with wotever decision u make but I for one wish I had never had the repair. X

Hi Tilley,  It's thought that two thirds of surgery work well but one third fails.  It is major surgery but some breeze through it (I did) whereas some have a bad time.  I think probably MOST don't have that bad a time though - you're probably not seeing a balanced view here because women with problems are more likely to be on here than women who have breezed through it, and come and gone.  My surgery failed and I'm back to using a prolapse pessary.  Because I'd had surgery, including hysterectomy, the type of prolapse pessary that could be used on me was limited, whereas if you get one before surgery there is a good choice and some can be taken out for sex.  But I'm very happy with my prolapse pessary and it's the best Christmas present ever - it all feels normal now and I wouldn't be without it.  I think you need to discuss it further with your gynie and ask about types of pessary that you can take out for sex if you want penetration.  To my mind it would be worth a try, just to see how you get on with it.  A pessary can stop a prolapse gettingn worse as well.

Hi Tilley, I'm 10 weeks post op for a rectocele and perenium repair and haven't looked back. I appreciate I didn't have as much done compared to others but I have had no problems at all.Everything looks a lot tidier down there now - I was told by the surgeon that he repaired a 2cm gap in the perenium. I'm 55 and put it off for many years for various reasons but decided that the time was right as I'd recently finished work.Good luck with making the right choice for you.

Hello tilley. You usually find ladies who have had successful outcomes after this type of surgery have no need to visit websites like this one because everything is going well. There are thousands of women who have a lot of success with no long term problems but to make sure you do well after surgery you need to do your homework. Only let a Urogynaecologist undertake the operation and not a general gynaecologist. Urogynaecologists have undertaken several years of specialised training which is very thorough, so much so not all who start the extra training finish it or pass at the end of the course. If you can ask to speak to a specialist Urogynaecology nurse who are often part of the consultants team and ask about the success rates for that consultant. The government plan to make all consultants publish their success and failure rates and the sooner the better in my opinion.

Hi Tilley, I am nearly 7 weeks post op and feeling great and so glad that I had my posterior and anterior repair. I was stage 2 for both. I spent many months agonising whether to have the operation, I had a pessery which I had used for 2 years. The pessery had worked well but I found that I had become a little sore and was recommended to use hormone cream which for various reasons I did not wish to do. I was also a bit fed up with being examined and having the pessery changed. I knew that doing pelvic floor exercises was never going to solve the problem and that it was not going to go away so I decided to take the plunge. I researched and researched and if only there was a tripadvisor on consultants😄 I did have two consultant opinions and chose the one who I felt most comfortable with and seemed the most experienced. I was only in hospital for 1 night and took all the advice from this site about drinking lots of water, using Movicol and most importantly rest and more rest. Yes there are ups and downs in recovery but  I am pleased to say that my consultant was very pleased with me at my 6 week check up and does not want to see me again. I have two further appointments with the physiotherapist concerning pelvic floor exercises which I know I will have to do for the foreseeable future. Interestingly the physiotherapist said that it takes 12 weeks to feel fully recovered and no heavy lifting in the future. It feels so great to feel normal again and I would recommend the operation. However it is a big decision which only you can make and whatever your decide  I wish you well. Good luck to all those who are recovering and have a lovely Christmas 😄