Pelvic Organ Prolapse

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 surgeon 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.

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 surgeon in your initial examination.

Biodesign is an advanced tissue repair material that allows the body to restore itself.

Once in place, the body infiltrates Biodesign with cells and new blood vessels. Over time Biodesign is completely replaced, so you can have a strong repair without any foreign material in your body long-term.

There are two main categories of tissue repair materials:

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 in your abdomen, 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 altered to strengthen the material. However, when these grafts are implanted, your body may respond to them as if they were synthetic mesh.

Biodesign: A Next Generation Biologic Graft Biodesign is a next generation biologic graft shown to reduce recurrence rates when compared to other biologics. That's because once in place the body completely remodels Biodesign into strong, organized tissue.

And unlike synthetic mesh, nothing is left permanently in the body to cause problems down the road.

Biodesign is based on a technology originally developed in the late 1990s. Since then, it has been continually improved into its present design, named Biodesign, and is used in multiple areas of the body.

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.

Biodesign is approved for sale in almost every country across the globe. Your surgeon should know if it is available in the hospital where he or she practices.

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.