It depends on how severe your prolapse is and whether the symptoms interfere with your enjoyment of daily life. If you are experiencing pain or are unable to participate in your normal activities, contact your physician to discuss treatment options.

Yes. There are lifestyle changes and exercises you can do to help improve your condition.

• Do Kegel exercises daily (to strengthen pelvic muscles).
• Tighten pelvic muscles while lifting, sneezing, coughing or laughing.
• Lose excess weight.
• Avoid heavy lifting and use proper lifting techniques.
• Eliminate caffeine from your diet.
• Stop smoking. Coughing increases stress on your pelvic muscles.
• Include fiber in your diet to avoid constipation that puts strain on pelvic muscles.
• Get regular, gentle exercise.
• Drink fluids frequently.
• Avoid being on your feet all day.
• Ask your doctor about low-dose estrogen creams.

Outcomes depend greatly on the type of graft material and surgical technique. Depending on the severity, type and cause of your pelvic organ prolapse, it is possible for the condition to recur after surgery.

Complication risks depend on the severity, type and cause of your pelvic organ prolapse as well as the type of procedure performed and graft material used. For example, synthetic mesh may erode, requiring another surgery to correct. The Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft is specifically designed to resolve this type of material failure and is not prone to erosion.

Another important consideration is waiting to have pelvic organ prolapse surgery until you no longer plan to have more children, as labor and vaginal delivery often cause prolapse.

Other issues may surface after surgery, such as urinary tract infections, incontinence, bleeding or discomfort during intercourse.

Each repair procedure is designed to address a specific area of prolapse. If urinary incontinence is one of the symptoms of your prolapse, your doctor can address this during the same surgery. Be sure to discuss it with your physician in your initial examination.

Biodesign communicates with your body, signaling surrounding tissue to grow across the graft. This action supports your body’s own healing process by attracting cells and nutrients to the wounded area and allowing your tissue to restore itself. It also allows your body’s immune system to protect the graft from potential infection.

Yes. Over time, Biodesign remodels to become as strong as your own natural tissue.

Biodesign completely remodels into strong tissue. Once the healing process is finished, the graft is completely remodeled into your own tissue, leaving a permanent repair without a permanent material.

There are three main categories of tissue repair materials: Biodesign, synthetic mesh and biologic grafts.

Biodesign Biodesign Advanced Tissue Repair Products are a whole new category in tissue repair, combining the best attributes of synthetic mesh and biologic grafts. Biodesign is a natural material that communicates with the surrounding tissue to help your body restore itself, completely remodeling into functional tissue. The remodeling process also increases the graft’s resistance to infection. And, because Biodesign is not prone to stretching and your own tissue quickly replaces it, a Biodesign repair provides long-term strength, reducing the potential for the condition to recur. Biodesign is available in a variety of shapes and sizes designed to treat various conditions.

Synthetic Mesh These are sheets of man-made materials (polypropylene, polyester, silicone or polytetrafluoroethylene) that permanently remain in your body. While they offer strength for a repair, they may cause problems. For example:

• You might be able to feel the mesh, causing discomfort.
• Synthetic mesh can erode into surrounding tissue or organs, resulting in pain and tissue damage.
• Your body might respond to synthetic mesh as a foreign material and surround it with scar tissue.

Biologic Grafts Derived from human or animal tissue, biologic grafts typically allow cells to grow into the graft and replace it, a process called remodeling. Some biologic grafts are made from skin tissue, which makes them prone to stretching and bulging. Other biologic grafts are chemically cross-linked to strengthen the material. However, when these grafts are implanted, your body may respond to them as if they were a synthetic mesh.

Several steps in the manufacturing of Biodesign ensure its safety as a graft. All Biodesign products are made of porcine material that undergoes thorough cleaning and disinfection using controlled medical device manufacturing procedures. Biodesign is provided as a sterile medical product.

Any surgery has potential for complications. Talk to your surgeon for more information. The following complications are possible with the use of Biodesign surgical mesh: bleeding, infection, abscess, induration, acute or chronic inflammation (initial application of surgical graft materials may be associated with transient, mild, localized inflammation), allergic reaction, visceral adhesions, fistula formation, seroma formation, hematoma, extrusion, recurrence of tissue defect, and delayed or failed incorporation of the device. See Instructions for Use for specific complications related to a particular product.

Originally developed for wound care in the late 1990s, Biodesign has evolved to its present design and now is used in multiple areas of the body. Biodesign has been used in more than one million patients.

Biodesign is approved for sale in 91 countries. Your surgeon should know if it is available in the hospital where he or she practices.