Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) will not go away without treatment. The first thing your doctor will probably recommend is Kegel exercises (alternately contracting and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles) as part of your daily routine. In some cases, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes or hormone therapy to reduce your symptoms. If these are ineffective, you may need to seek a more aggressive treatment.
Insertable Device
A pessary is a small, removable device, often shaped like a ring, that is placed in the upper part of the vagina to support the pelvic organs. Pessaries do not actually cure pelvic organ prolapse, but they can help relieve symptoms and keep the prolapse from worsening.

Surgery
Surgical procedures to treat pelvic organ prolapse usually do two things: put the prolapsed organs back in their normal locations or remove them and reinforce the weakened pelvic floor. Often a graft or mesh is placed to reinforce the repair.

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 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.

  • 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 may not be the appropriate treatment option for your condition.
Information provided on this site is not intended to replace consultation with a medical professional.

NOTE: Any surgery has the potential for complications. The following complications are possible with the use of Biodesign® Advanced Tissue Repair Products: 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. Not all part numbers listed on this website are approved for sale in all regulatory jurisdictions. Consult with your local Cook representative or customer service center for details.