I’ve been asked about uterine prolapse multiple times over the past month or two, so I thought it would be a good topic for my blog.
With all of the commercials out there asking you to sue your doctor if you’ve had a mesh implant… and all of the complications that can arise from the surgery, I wanted to share with you my advice for mild prolapse. Avoid surgery. That is my advice for sure. But what can you do to help with mild to moderate prolapse?
Jade and Pearl sell reusable sea pearls (all natural sea sponges) in different sizes… sized anywhere from teeny tiny to large.
Today, I’m going to talk about using the sea sponges as a pessary, but they are great for lots of uses. The super teeny sea pearl sponges are perfect for young girls who are not ready (or wanting to use) tampons or menstrual cups. You can cut the sponges in any shape and size… long narrow strips or flat wide triangles that can be only partially inserted very shallowly and act as a temporary containment device… perfect for young girls who do not want to insert anything but want to contain their menstrual flow a bit in their vaginal canal during activities/summer/swimming and such.
As you can imagine, I wasn’t exactly sure what type of picture would be appropriate for a post about uterine prolapse. I mean, this is a family friendly blog and all. So here is an out-take from some pics I had to take for my necklaces… and pretty much sums up how it feels to be talking about vaginas on the internet. Yep. I expect a lot of spam to filter out from the comments section on this one!
Now for prolapse, the sponges are a great deal wider and bigger, but again, can be trimmed to size. The eco-friendly part of this is that you use and reuse the same sponge for up to six months. Just wet it… squeeze it out until just damp, and insert. Wash it out once every 24 hours (or more often if you are using it for menstrual flow) and re-insert.
The larger sea pearls for prolapse will support your uterus, relieving pressure on your bladder and preventing those pesky bladder infections that become an endless cycle of antibiotics and resistance.
On top of that, continued use may help prevent further uterine prolapse. Similar to wearing a bra to prevent breasts from sagging (make that a wireless bra FOR SURE… promise me you will have nothing to do with wire clamping off the lymphatic flow around your breasts!!!! And organic cotton bras would be all the better, like those found at Blue Canoe) using this all natural sea sponge as an organic pessary to support your relaxing pelvic floor is a great option that might actually decrease the severity of prolapse in the long run.
For a bit more help in inserting the sponges, you can put a small drop of any organic oil (like grapeseed oil or coconut oil) on the sponge to act as a lubricant. Even better, for menopausal users, Jade and Pearl sell a Wild Yam Bodacious Body Butter that is pure shea nut butter blended with wild yam essential oil which is a natural source of progesterone.
To clean the sponge, you can use any natural soap. We love organic Dr. Bronners liquid castile soap around our house. Do not use synthetic soaps like Dove or Ivory, as they are too harsh for internal (or, in my opinion, external) use. If you want to take it a step further, you can put a drop of tea tree oil into hot water and soak the sponges as well. The tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and is bacterocidal.
There are so many uses for these all natural, trim-able and shape-able sea sponges. From a young girls first menses, before she is ready for a more invasive option like the Diva cup (which I blog about here…) to uterine prolapse in a menopausal woman, the sea sponge is a great alternative to mild to moderate prolapse.
I wouldn’t even consider a surgical option unless the prolapse was really severe and you’ve run through all your other options first.
The sea sponges are also great if you have a yeast infection… you can use all natural plain yogurt or your favorite anti-yeast remedy (even prescription preparations) and smear it all over your sponge before insertion. This will hold your treatment in place much longer then just depositing a cream inside your vagina to trickle out all day, ruin your underwear, and in general drive you crazy.
I hope that reaches some folks out there who are just beginning to notice signs of early uterine prolapse (pelvic pressure, yeast infections, bladder infections, etc…) and hope that the sea sponges can help support your uterus against the effects of gravity.
xoxo, Laura