What is rectal prolapse? Your rectum is the last segment of your large intestine before your anus. This is where poop prepares to exit your body. When poop arrives in your rectum, it triggers the urge to defecate (poop), and a network of muscles pushes the poop out through your anus. But when rectal prolapse occurs, the rectum itself travels with it, slipping down telescope-style into the anal canal - and sometimes out the other side. “Prolapse” is the term healthcare providers use to describe any body part that has fallen from its normal position in your body. It usually means that the muscles supporting the part have weakened or deteriorated. Some weakening or deterioration is normal with aging, but extra wear and tear on the muscles can accelerate the process. Childbirth, chronic constipation or diarrhea can affect your rectum. Who does rectal prolapse affect? It most commonly affects people who were assigned female at birth, especially those over the age of 50. Less commonly, it may occur in young children as a result of chronic diarrhea or cystic fibrosis. Content has been created with GSA Con tent G enerator DE MO.
How common is this condition? It’s estimated to occur in about 2.5 in every 1000 people. Is rectal prolapse serious? It’s not urgently serious, but it can cause discomfort for some people, and it can lead to possible complications down the road. The most common complications are pooping difficulties, such as fecal incontinence. What causes rectal prolapse? Failure of the muscles that hold the rectum in place leads to rectal prolapse. Many things may contribute to this. Previous injury or surgery to your pelvis. Chronic constipation or diarrhea. Chronic coughing or sneezing. Spinal cord or nerve damage. What does rectal prolapse look like? Rectal prolapse can look different in different people. If you have an internal prolapse, your rectum has begun to drop partway into your anus, but it hasn’t yet come out the other end. If you have a mucosal prolapse, the inside mucous lining of your rectum has turned inside-out and milfbreed.com begun to poke out of your anus.
External prolapse is when your entire rectum falls out. At first, prolapse may only occur when you poop, but eventually, it's constant. What are the signs or symptoms of rectal prolapse? A feeling of pressure or a bulge in your anus. A feeling like there’s something left inside your anus after you poop. A red, fleshy mass hanging out of your anus. Leakage of mucus, poop or blood from your anus. Anal pain or itching. How do I know if I have rectal prolapse vs. Rectal prolapse and hemorrhoids can have similar symptoms, and it's not uncommon to mistake one for the other. Hemorrhoids - swollen blood vessels in the anus or rectum - can also cause itching, pain or bleeding. Hemorrhoids can even prolapse - slip out of your anus - and they may look similar to mucosal rectal prolapse if they do. After all, they occur within the same red, fleshy mucous lining.
Both hemorrhoids and rectal prolapse can occur during and after pregnancy, or in conjunction with chronic constipation or diarrhea. While rectal prolapse has many possible causes, hemorrhoids are mainly caused by excessive straining. They are also temporary and will go away on their own after a week or so. Rectal prolapse is chronic and progressive. The symptoms may change, but it won’t go away. How is rectal prolapse diagnosed? Your healthcare provider will review your medical history, then examine your rectum. They might ask you to activate your muscles as if you were pooping. Digital Rectal Exam. This is a physical exam using lubricated gloved fingers. Defecography. This is an imaging study of your muscles when you poop, using an X-ray or MRI. Anorectal Manometry. This test measures the strength and tightness of your anal sphincters. Lower GI Series (barium enema). A series of video X-rays of your lower gastrointestinal tract. Colonoscopy. This test examines the inside of your large intestine with a flexible scope.
Electromyography (EMG): This test determines if nerve damage is the reason why the anal sphincters are not working properly. It also examines muscle coordination. If you have weak pelvic floor muscles, you may have one or several other conditions in addition to rectal prolapse. Your healthcare provider may want to check for these other conditions so that they can address them all together. Will rectal prolapse go away on its own? Not in adults. If rectal prolapse occurs in your child, it might go away after you treat the cause. For example, if your child has hard stools, diarrhea or a parasite infection, treating these conditions will relieve the stress on their pelvic floor muscles. The muscles will repair themselves as your child continues to grow. If you’re an adult, however, rectal prolapse won’t improve without surgery. What happens if rectal prolapse is left untreated? If it's not causing bothersome symptoms, you may be able to live for some time with rectal prolapse, taking care of it at home.
