Prolapsed Bladder in Las Vegas, Nevada

Every person’s bladder is supposed to remain in proper position as it is supported by muscles of the pelvic floor. Instances in which the bladder bulges out of place are known as bladder prolapse or cystocele. This condition is often the result of weakened or damaged tissues within the individual’s pelvic floor.

Victor Grigoriev, MD, FACS is a urologist in Las Vegas committed to providing the highest quality care to patients throughout the Las Vegas area in the diagnosis and treatment of bladder prolapse and other urology conditions. Call our urology clinic in Las Vegas, NV today to learn more about bladder prolapse treatment options offered by Dr. Grigoriev.

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What Are the Symptoms of Bladder Prolapse?

Bladder prolapse is most often seen in females, and can often be attributed to extensive pressure put on the pelvic floor muscles during childbirth. When this occurs, the bladder can begin to protrude through the vagina and lead to a variety of symptoms, such as:

• Urinary incontinence
• Pain during intercourse
• Frequent urge to urinate
• Sensation of an unempty bladder even immediately after urination
• Visible tissue protruding from the vaginal opening
• Pain throughout the pelvic region
• Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Noticeable pressure within the vaginal area

It is also possible for patients with bladder prolapse to remain asymptomatic, meaning that they experience no abnormal symptoms at all. In many cases, bladder prolapse can be diagnosed during a routine physical examination.

Those who do experience symptoms of bladder prolapse should contact Dr. Victor Grigoriev and his team of urogynecology specialists right away to schedule a consultation. Once the source of the patient’s discomfort has been accurately identified, Dr. Grigoriev will be able to follow up with his recommendations for treatment.

What Are The Risk Factors?

• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Regularly straining on the toilet to pass bowel motions or empty the bladder
• Being overweight
• Chronic cough secondary to smoker’s cough or chronic lung diseases
• Repetitive lifting of children or heavy weights at work or in the gym, or any exercises where there is excessive downward pressure on the pelvic floor
• Pelvic or gynecological surgery
• Strong family history
• Connective tissue disease, in which the tissues in the body are not able to hold the weight of the organs
• Menopause

Postmenopausal women are more susceptible to bladder prolapse because they have reduced levels of estrogen (the female sex hormone). Estrogen helps to keep the vaginal tissues and muscles in good tone. When estrogen levels drop after menopause, these tissues become thinner and less elastic, which may allow the bladder to bulge into the vagina.

Additional Tests of the Pelvic Floor

Every patient is different, and some may not be as easy to diagnose as others. For these situations, other diagnostic imaging scans or tests can be ordered by Dr. Grigoriev to further investigate the individual’s bladder function, including:

• Urodynamic testing
• Cystoscopy
• Ultrasound
• X-ray
• MRI

These examinations are often quite helpful in determining the grade of a patient’s bladder prolapse. The more advanced the grade of a person’s condition, the more comprehensive their treatment will likely be. The range of these grades exist on a scale of 1 to 4, and include:

• Grade 1: Mild prolapse of the bladder where the organ begins dropping slightly into the vagina.
• Grade 2: Moderate prolapse wherein the bladder has reached the opening of the vagina.
• Grade 3: Severe prolapse that is characterized by the bladder now protruding outside of the body.
• Grade 4: Complete prolapse can occur if the bladder hangs fully out of the vagina.

Common Treatments for Bladder Prolapse

Patients diagnosed with a mild case of bladder prolapse will not often require medical treatment for their condition. Simply avoiding added pressure or strain on the pelvic floor muscles in addition to utilizing strengthening exercises for this region of the body can often lead to significant improvement in symptoms.

Individuals that have sustained more comprehensive damage to their pelvic floor may be recommended for further treatment, such as estrogen replacement therapy and/or pessary implementation.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Introducing higher doses of estrogen (the primary female sex hormone) to the body can help the muscles of the pelvic floor tighten much more quickly. This can be especially beneficial for women who have recently experienced a drop in these hormone levels, such as those transitioning through menopause.

Pessary

A pessary is a specially designed device used to manually hold the bladder in place. This device may be inserted, removed, and regularly cleaned by the patient or their physician.