Sophie's Story*
Step 1
Sophie discovered what mattered
Sophie (she/her) is a 34-year-old marketing manager and mother of two who discovered she had pelvic organ prolapse 8 weeks after the birth of her second baby. The heaviness and dragging sensation made her feel broken, and she was terrified she'd never exercise again. Sophie had always been active - running, CrossFit, and hiking were how she managed stress. After her first baby, she'd bounced back quickly, but her second birth was different - a long labour, forceps delivery, and third-degree tear. When her GP confirmed significant prolapse and told her to "avoid heavy lifting and high-impact exercise," Sophie was devastated. Working together, we discovered Sophie had a cystocele (bladder prolapse) and rectocele (bowel prolapse), weakened pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, and significant fear about making her prolapse worse. She'd stopped all exercise except gentle walking and was experiencing low mood as a result.
Sophie's Pelvic Health Goals:
- Understand what I can and can't do - I need facts, not just 'be careful'
- Get rid of this awful dragging feeling so I can get through my day comfortably
- Lift my kids without worrying I'm making things worse
- Return to running - even if it's just parkrun once a week
- Eventually get back to CrossFit - it's my community and my stress relief
- Feel comfortable being intimate with my partner again - right now I'm too self-conscious
- Feel strong and capable in my body again, not broken
Step 2
Sophie restored what mattered
Understanding that prolapse didn't mean the end of exercise was transformative for Sophie. We began pelvic floor and abdominal muscle training using biofeedback, with a focus on increasing strength and using the muscles during lifting and exercise. Guided by the return to exercise checklist, we progressed from low-impact activities to narrow squats, lunges, and low-impact exercise classes. We fitted Sophie with a pessary for additional support while her muscles strengthened. Hands-on treatment addressed her perineal scar tissue. When her pelvic floor muscle strength improved, we developed a graduated return to running and eventually to modified CrossFit training with proper pelvic floor activation techniques.
Step 3
Sophie enjoyed what mattered
After 10 months, Sophie had achieved all her goals. The dragging sensation had resolved, she was running 5km twice a week and had rejoined CrossFit with modifications. A year after treatment, she completed a 10km trail run and encourages others in her mother's group with prolapse to seek help rather than accepting limitations.