Sex & Wellness with Dr. Mary

Episode 15 - What is Prolapse?

This is a solo episode and today we will be talking all about prolapse. 

We received a question from Caroline, a 52-year-old woman from Seattle. She shared that she’s been complaining of symptoms of rectal prolapse and noted, “First of all, I have no idea what this means. I feel embarrassed and unclean because sometimes I have stains in my underwear even though I clean thoroughly after I poop. Is there anything besides surgery that I can do and can you explain what’s going on?” 

When people search about prolapse online, most of the things that they find aren’t true at all! You don’t have to avoid specific exercise forever if you have a prolapse that’s why I wanted to talk more about this topic because Physical Therapy can truly help with this issue! 

Give this episode a listen so you know what questions you can ask to your healthcare provider and advocate for yourself! 

Let’s talk about:  

0:35 – Today’s topic

2:35 – Introduction to today’s topic and question

3:15 – Understanding the pelvic floor and pelvic organs, how prolapse happens, and different reasons why weakening of vaginal wall happen 

7:59 – Understanding your core 

9:55 – What I always see with people with prolapse coming in, what I want you to do, and my take on fear-based approach in treating prolapse 

11:09 – A quick story on a patient of mine that came in with prolapse: her activities, what she was told to do, and what I would have done instead

14:43 – Common symptoms of prolapse

21:53 – How is prolapse tested, the different things we look into and do to treat symptoms of prolapse, and some potential triggers for prolapse 

42:43 – When should you have surgery for your prolapse 

46:31 – Other things we look into and do to treat symptoms of prolapse 

48:05 – Conclusion 

You may download the Bladder And Bowel Tracker HERE.

If you have any other questions or topics you want to talk about, send me a message on Instagram. And if you loved this episode, please leave me a rating and a comment with your feedback. Please share this with your friends and loved ones, too!


I also have a free resource for you if you're struggling with bladder urgency: https://resilient-rx.com/bladderdiary/

I’ll see you in two weeks!