ABSTRACT
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is the protrusion or herniation of pelvic structures such as the bladder, bowel, or uterus into the vaginal canal resulting from weakness or damage to the pelvic support structures. It may be associated with pelvic discomfort as well as sexual, urinary, and defecatory disorders. As many as 50% of adult women over the age of 40 are affected by pelvic organ prolapse and both the incidence and prevalence are known to increase with age (1,2). Additionally, a woman carries an 11% lifetime risk of undergoing an operation for prolapse or urinary incontinence by age 80 (3). Many women have signs of pelvic floor weakness and pelvic organ prolapse during routine gynecological examination (4). In a multicenter observational study done in the United States, the prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse among women aged 18 to 83 with stage I or greater was 76% and there was a 38% increased risk of POP with each advancing decade of age (1). In the past, prolapse was described by the structures perceived to be located behind the vaginal bulge such as cystocele, rectocele, or enterocele (Table 1). The use of these terms has been discouraged as it is not always certain which organs truly exist in the bulge. The affected vaginal segment, such as anterior or posterior wall prolapse, vault or uterine prolapse or perineal descent has recently been advocated to describe pelvic organ prolapse (5).
