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13.8: Is prolapse "Normal"?

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    15650

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    Clearly some degree of prolapse is the norm, especially in a parous population. Women with prolapse beyond the hymenal ring have a significantly increased likelihood of having symptoms. In a general population of women between 20 – 59, the prevalence of prolapse was 31%, whereas only 2% of all women had prolapse that reached the introitus. Some estimations suggest that a degree of prolapse is found in 50% of parous women, and up to 20% of these cases are symptomatic. An estimated 5% of all hysterectomies result in vaginal prolapse.

    Apical prolapse is a delayed complication of hysterectomy, and follows vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy in equal numbers: it’s occurrence may be the result of damage to the upper vaginal supports occurring at the time of surgery.

    This page titled 13.8: Is prolapse "Normal"? is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Stephen Jeffery and Peter de Jong via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.