My Journey Through Pelvic Organ Prolapse: What I Wish I’d Known

By Hannah Bennett BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, MSc Sport & Exercise Medicine, MHCPC, MCSP, AMPOGP, CMMOTP, MAPPI

June is pelvic organ prolapse awareness month and I thought it would be a good time to share my own journey as it may be familiar to many.

Fourteen years ago, I became a mother for the first time. My daughter’s birth wasn’t what I’d call traumatic, but it was long. I went into labour on a Friday morning, and she finally arrived in the early hours of Monday. I didn’t advocate for different birthing positions, I did exactly what I was told and delivered on my back despite being aware that this was not the best position for my pelvic floor. She was in a back-to-back presentation, something we only discovered half an hour before delivery. It was all just really hard work.

By day three of labour, I was exhausted. I pushed with everything I had, as instructed by the midwife. I had a significant tear, was stitched up, and discharged soon after with almost no postnatal advice aside from how to breastfeed. Nothing about pelvic floor recovery.

Nothing about healing. Nothing about what to expect in my own body.

My husband worked abroad and returned to work just two weeks after the birth, so I moved back to Scotland to stay with my parents. I wasn’t working in pelvic health at the time, I was a general musculoskeletal physio and lifelong athlete, so I assumed that “getting back to fitness” was what taking care of myself looked like.

On day three, I was out walking with the pram, up and down the farm road. I craved fresh air and movement. I even tried a short run. I felt my boobs bouncing in an unsupportive nursing bra. My pelvic floor felt… heavy. Open. Something wasn’t right. My mother gently told me, “Don’t rush, there’s no need.” But I didn’t listen. I was determined to get my body back. 

Like many women born in the 80s, I’d internalised a focus on weight. Cardio was still considered the fastest way to “get your body back.” I pushed through. I ignored my pain. I got back to running, because that’s what fit mums did. I didn’t strength train There just wasn’t the education or emphasis on it like there is now. I was in the Army and I believed sweating meant success.

My coccyx was agony. I told myself it would pass.

Later, posted in Cyprus, I kept up the cardio. I ran a marathon and hated every minute. I didn’t feel strong. My body didn’t feel like mine.

After leaving the Army, we moved to the Middle East. I had my second baby and again turned to running mostly because it was convenient, free and familiar. I still wasn’t strength training, and still not listening to what my body needed.

Everything changed with my third pregnancy.

By then, I had just started training in pelvic health physiotherapy. My eyes were finally opened to what I hadn’t known and hadn’t done during my previous postnatal recoveries.

This time, I could feel it: the heaviness in my pelvic floor, the shift in my anatomy. Something was different. I couldn’t walk for long without discomfort. I felt pressure in my underwear. Clothes felt wrong. I needed to sit frequently. Picking up my toddler or 5-year-old was scary. Eventually, I was diagnosed with a rectocele a type of pelvic organ prolapse. The back wall of the vagina between the vagina and the rectum becomes stretched and the rectum pushes into that wall.

I was frightened. What would labour look like this time? What exactly would I be pushing out?

Thankfully, the birth went well. And this time, I rested. I made rest, breathing, pelvic floor exercises, and gentle awareness my mission. Slowly, steadily, I improved.

Being immersed in the world of pelvic health, I now understood what to do and more importantly, what not to do.

I started small with bodyweight strength training, then gradually added resistance. I focused on breathing well through movement, rebuilding my system from the inside out. Running, however, remained the hardest part of my journey. I had persistent hamstring and pelvic pain. It took patience and time. Since then, I’ve run a half marathon, several 10Ks, and last year I completed a Hyrox event. Not because I "bounced back” but because I rebuilt forward, differently.

So what is Pelvic Organ Prolapse? Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) occurs when one or more pelvic organs (bladder, bowel, uterus) descend into the vaginal space due to weakness in the pelvic floor or supporting tissues.

Types of prolapse include, 

• Cystocele (bladder)

• Rectocele (rectum)

• Uterine prolapse

• Enterocele (small bowel)

• Vaginal vault prolapse (post-hysterectomy)

It is estimated that up to 50% of women who have given birth may experience some degree of prolapse, even if they don’t realise it. Around 1 in 10 women will undergo surgery for prolapse by the age of 80.

The common Symptoms of Pelvic Organ Prolapse

• A sensation of heaviness, dragging, or pressure in the vagina

• Feeling or seeing a bulge

• A sense of something "falling out"

• Lower back or pelvic pain

• Difficulty emptying bowels or bladder

• Pain or discomfort during sex

• A feeling of looseness or instability

These symptoms often worsen toward the end of the day, after standing, or during/after exertion.

Myths and Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To)

Myth: “Getting back to running equals getting back to fitness.”

Truth: Running too soon can overload healing tissues and worsen symptoms. Recovery starts from within with breath, core, and pelvic floor.

Myth: “If I don’t have pain, I must be fine.

”Truth: Prolapse can be painless yet still have a significant impact on long-term pelvic health.

Mistake: Pushing through symptoms.I ignored coccyx pain, pressure, and fatigue. That didn’t make me stronger, just more depleted.

Myth: “Only older women get prolapse.”

Truth: Any woman who has given birth vaginally or via C-section, can experience prolapse, and it can happen at any age.

You’re Not Alone and You Deserve Support.

If any part of my story sounds familiar to you - the pressure, the discomfort, the frustration of being dismissed or simply unaware, please know this. You are not alone, and you do not have to live with it. Working with a pelvic health physiotherapist can make a transformative difference. There is so much we can do conservatively, practically, and effectively to help you feel stronger, more confident, and in control of your body again.

If you think you may have symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse or are unsure about your postnatal recovery, reach out to a qualified pelvic health expert. We’re here to listen, assess, guide, and support you without judgment and with evidence-based care.

With compassion,

Hannah