

The x-ray images show the shape of the woman’s bladder and let the health care provider see any problems that might block normal urine flow. A woman gets a voiding cystourethrogram while urinating. A woman receives local anesthesia.Ī healthcare provider may use a voiding cystourethrogram-an x-ray exam of the bladder-to diagnose a prolapsed bladder as well. A postvoid residual of 100 mL or more is a sign that the woman is not completely emptying her bladder. The healthcare provider inserts the catheter through the woman’s urethra into her bladder to remove and measure the amount of remaining urine after the woman has urinated. A woman does not need anesthesia.Ī healthcare provider can also use a catheter-a thin, flexible tube-to measure a woman’s postvoid residual. A specially trained technician performs the procedure, and a radiologist-a doctor who specializes in medical imaging-interprets the images. A bladder ultrasound uses a device, called a transducer, that bounces safe, painless sound waves off the bladder to create an image and show the amount of remaining urine. A healthcare provider can measure postvoid residual with a bladder ultrasound. The remaining urine is called the postvoid residual. If a woman has difficulty emptying her bladder, a healthcare provider may measure the amount of urine left in the woman’s bladder after she urinates. grade 3-most advanced, when the bladder bulges out through the opening of the vagina.grade 2-moderate, when the bladder drops far enough to reach the opening of the vagina.grade 1-mild, when the bladder drops only a short way into the vagina.A cystocele receives one of three grades depending on how far a woman’s bladder has dropped into her vagina: A healthcare provider uses a grading system to determine the severity of a woman’s prolapsed bladder.

The healthcare provider will ask about symptoms and medical history. Medical tests take place in a health care provider’s office, an outpatient center, or a hospital. How is a prolapsed bladder diagnosed?ĭiagnosing a prolapsed bladder requires medical tests and a physical exam of the vagina. Women with mild prolapsed bladders often do not have any symptoms. Urinary retention––the inability to empty the bladder completely––may occur with more severe prolapsed bladder if the cystocele creates a kink in the woman’s urethra and blocks urine flow. These movements can include coughing, sneezing, laughing, or physical activity, such as walking. Women who have a prolapsed bladder may also leak some urine as a result of movements that put pressure on the bladder, called stress urinary incontinence. the sensation of pelvic heaviness or fullness.the feeling that something is falling out of the vagina.The symptoms of a prolapsed bladder may include Need to schedule an appointment with a gynecologist? What are the symptoms of a prolapsed bladder? Whether menopause increases a woman’s chances of developing a prolapsed bladder is unclear. repetitive straining for bowel movementsĪ woman’s chances of developing a prolapsed bladder increase with age, possibly because of weakening muscles and supportive tissues from aging.Damage to or weakening of the pelvic muscles and supportive tissues may occur after vaginal childbirth and with conditions that repeatedly strain or increase pressure in the pelvic area, such as A woman’s pelvic organs include the vagina, cervix, uterus, bladder, urethra, and small intestine.

A prolapsed bladder may result from damage to the muscles and tissues that hold the pelvic organs up inside the pelvis. In a prolapsed bladder, the bladder tissue remains covered by the vaginal skin. What causes a prolapsed bladder?Ī prolapsed bladder occurs when the muscles and supportive tissues between a woman’s bladder and vagina weaken and stretch, letting the bladder sag from its normal position and bulge into the vagina or through the vaginal opening. The urethra is the tube that carries urine outside of the body. During urination the bladder empties through the urethra, located at the bottom of the bladder. The bladder, located in the pelvis between the pelvic bones, is a hollow, muscular, balloon-shaped organ that expands as it fills with urine. A prolapsed bladder, also called a cystocele or dropped bladder, is the bulging or dropping of the bladder into the vagina.
