What Is a Vaginal Vault Suspension?
Vaginal vault suspension is a surgical repair of a uterine prolapse. This is a condition in which your uterus loses its support and falls into your vaginal canal. The surgery elevates the opening of your vagina for stability and to prevent further falling. A prolapse can result in pelvic pressure, vaginal bulging and discomfort with both coitus and daily activities.
Prolapse comes in various forms, named according to the type of prolapse, including:
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Cystocele, which is an anterior prolapse in the front area of your vagina
Rectocele, referring to prolapse behind your vaginal wall
Enterocele, which happens when your small intestine drops, pressing on the top of your vagina
Vaginal prolapse is a fairly common condition. It’s estimated that the condition afflicts one-third of women or those assigned female at birth at some point in their lifetime. This condition is also likely to affect you more when you’re older, mainly because of multiple pregnancies with a vaginal birth.
Dr. Felix Cohen and his team at Cohen Medical Practice in Midtown Manhattan are committed to personalized, minimally invasive treatments that restore your comfort and confidence with advanced knowledge of vaginal vault suspension procedures and other complicated gynecological services.
What Happens During a Vaginal Vault Suspension Procedure?
During the minimally invasive procedure, your CMP surgeon attaches the vault of the vagina to the ligaments of the pelvis either laparoscopically or with robotically performed surgery, thus holding it up from falling again.
Generally, the whole procedure takes two to three hours and usually performed under general anesthesia.
Other steps in the process may include:
- A laparoscopic or robotically assisted approach that’s often favored for minimizing scarring and recovering in a shorter period
- Permanent support provided through your native tissue or by synthetic mesh
- In addition to repairing the pelvic floor, cystocele or rectocele prolapse may be repaired at the same time
What Is Vaginal Vault Suspension Recovery Like?
Most women improve noticeably with reduced pelvic pain and fewer instances of urinary incontinence following surgery. Recovery pain is minimal and can be controlled with over-the-counter pain medications. When you follow your doctor’s instructions closely, recovery is manageable.
Post-surgery, you can expect:
- Some degree of pelvic tenderness or ache typically considered as mild to moderate discomfort, which resolves with over-the-counter medications
- To take from six to eight weeks to fully heal
- Restrictions from heavy lifting, strenuous exercises and intercourse
- To resume light activities within a week
Almost all women have long-term improvement after surgery. Quality of life improves along with pelvic function. Follow-up care during your recovery is essential for the success of the procedure to remain long-lasting. Your CMP doctor sees you on a regular basis to monitor your progress and address any complications from vaginal vault suspension that you may experience.
hat Are Potential Complications from Vaginal Vault Suspension?
Like other surgeries, there are complications from vaginal vault suspension. Though they’re rare, the most common complications involve infection, too much bleeding, or damage to any adjacent organs like your bladder or rectum.
Moreover, in this case, there is a small risk that may involve erosion due to synthetic materials used. Relying on the expert competency of the CMP team, however, greatly reduces the risks associated with surgery.
Complications from vaginal vault suspension may include:
- Anesthesia and the risk of an allergic reaction
- Sexual dysfunction caused by the anatomical changes in the vagina after an extensive suspension surgery
- Complications of mesh used to shore up the vaginal vault
- Urethra injuries that lead to urinary retention or pain after the surgery
- Repeat of procedure at some point in the future because once you’ve experienced pelvic prolapse, you’re at risk of having it happen again
What Are the Consequences of Not Undergoing this Procedure?
While the complications from vaginal vault suspension may sound frightening, the risk of not having the procedure may be worse.
Dr. Cohen and his team greatly mitigate those risks and may advise you to have the procedure to prevent consequences that could include:
- Infections in the cervix and vagina
- Ulcerations from the displaced organs
- Hemorrhoids and constipation from untreated rectocele
- Urinary symptoms and urinary tract infections due to untreated cystocele
The need for a complete hysterectomy if the prolapse becomes too severe to repair
One popular option that Dr. Cohen can do if you’re a good candidate is to insert a pessary into your vagina. A pessary is a plastic device that’s inserted in your vagina to hold your uterus in the correct place.
Unfortunately, those come with side effects of their own that could include:
- Foul odors
- A need to have it cleaned by your medical team
- Vaginal ulcers
- Pain during sex
- Vagina wall irritation
Contact Cohen Medical Practice now to learn more about vaginal vault suspension under board-certified gynecologist, Dr. Cohen, renowned for advancing the most complicated minimally invasive techniques, as well as providing women with an entire realm of gynecological services ranging from PMS and fertility treatments to birth control options and menopause care.