# Retroverted uterus?



## thelibertine (Sep 8, 2009)

So as some of you know I started experience problems that were similar to a prolapse a few months ago. Something feeling like it comes out of my bottom and difficulty going to the bathroom properly, incomplete evac etc. Well I just went to the drs to get the results of my ultrasound, she said all came back normal, however when she examined me before she said the shape of my uterus and back passage was abnormal. She said it's likely I have a retroverted uterus which will be pressing on my bowel, meaning waste has to come around a curve before it can get out, this could cause a lot of the symptons I've been having apparently.I still feel like something is coming out of my rectum and that I may have begun to have a prolapse but I'm not sure what I can do about it. I guess for now I just have to try and get on with this diagnosis.Does anyone else have one?


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## TanaG (Jul 11, 2009)

I know my mum has a retroverted uterus, it's something you're born with, but I never heard of this being the cause of any GI problems. It's just a thing some women have and as far as I know, it matters sometimes only when you give birth.


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## Diana63 (Oct 20, 2009)

I have the problem with incomplete evacuation all the time,i have tried Biofeedback and have been given pelvic floor exercises to do,early days at the moment but hoping it will help eventually.I had a Proctogram last year which showed the muscles in my bowel were loose due to straining.Not much advice given out by the Doctor so i had to find something myself to try and see if i can find something that helps.Why dont you go and see your Doctor again and tell them that you still feel as if there is something coming out of your bottom and you want to get it checked again.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2010)

I had a vaginal ultrasound to confirm PCOS last year, and in the results they mentioned that I also had a retroverted uterus. As far as I can tell, mine doesn't really affect me in any way.I'd follow up again with the doctor. I get the part where the uterus leaning on the bowels could complicate passage, especially for someone with IBS, but I'm not so clear on how that's supposed to translate into the sensation you describe. Are they suggesting the extra straining to get around the uterus is causing a prolapse?


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## thelibertine (Sep 8, 2009)

They didn't suggest that, I do agree it's still a bit odd. It often feels almost like I will have to go to the bathroom several times for small pieces, often they look squashed as if they had to get around something (the uterus?) but it only started a few months ago. She said something about it could have moved around by itself to a retroverted position but I can't find anything like this online? it definately changed to be like this, wasn't always.I think I will go back because I do feel like something is definately not right, it's almost like when I go to empty my bowel I am bearing down or something.







ETA: found this, is this how mine could be because it certainly feels like it most of the time,w hat I don't understand is how they could let ANYBODY live with this. the uterus is almost completely blocking the colon. I feel like when I try to push something comes down, is there any chance my uterus could have retroverted and in return be displacing my colon? Argh I am getting so annoyed/frustratedMy vaginal ultrasound scanned that everything was normal, surely if it was a retroverted uterus it would've seen it?!I also have put a mirror underneath myself and pushed down and can clearly see what looks like a rectal prolapse coming out. I really am at my wits end here, nobody believes me/cares yet I know there is soething wrong


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i have a retroverted uterus and have had constipation problems for over 40 years. i've always suspected that the uterine position was complicating things--like that photo above shows--the uterus appears to be pushing right there down on the colon. whenever i mentioned this to the docs they told me no it should not be a problem for c--just might be a problem if i wanted to become pregnant. but really i've always felt the docs were wrong on this. whenever the gyn does a pelvic on me in order to feel the uterus she has to stick her finger up my rectum--she can't get a good feel on it the usual way by pushing down on my abdomen.libertine--yes i think you definitely should go back to dr and tell her what you're seeing in the mirror when you push down--maybe a prolapse? def want to get that possibility checked out--or did they do that already? good luck. yes it sure is hard to get the docs to listen sometimes...


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I think the difficulty in believing that the only thing causing the problems is the tipped uterus is that something like 20-25% of all women have this and very few of them have symptoms and even then most of the symptoms are not usually severe IBS-C complaints (more often pain during sex or issues with pregnancy, and even with those a lot of women with the uterus in a funny position never have issues with it).IBS all by itself (in men who can't have a tipped uterus) can cause all the incomplete evacuation, constipation and other symptoms being described here.Now it may make things worse if you have IBS but it doesn't seem to be causing those problems by itself. Most women have had this since birth so why would it cause problems at some specific age rather than all along. Now sometimes it will tip after pregnancy or because scarring from endometriosis pull it in a funny place or some women will have it tip the wrong way after menopause because of the hormone issues, but that doesn't seem to be what caused it for most of the people here, so I'm guessing it was always this way.It is like having a longer than normal colon. It is pretty common, and most people never have symptoms, but it does seem that when someone develops IBS-C that can make them more severe than other people. On the other hand, it is hard to know as we don't really know how many people with other kinds of IBS or no symptoms have that anatomical issue.There are an awful lot of normally abnormal anatomical variations. Most of them cause few if any symptoms and they only find them after something else starts causing problems. Heck a guy where I grew up had three kidneys and never knew it. Now it showed up when they X-rayed him for abdominal pain and seeing a kidney sized mass where it didn't belong prompted surgery to go take a look at it (before CT's and MRI's). They were pretty sure once they saw it was, in fact, and extra kidney that he had it all along and it wasn't causing the pain, and they left it in there since it had always been that way and it was healthy.


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## thelibertine (Sep 8, 2009)

What I still am confused about is whether I even have C the doctors use it i reference when often some days I am constantly running to the bathroom but I wil have many small pieces but the call is urgent and often can be up to something like 6 times in a day. (they are soft and raggedy edged.. so not c like at all) it is just like my rectum can't make a proper bowel movement and I am worried about it, as well as sometimes incomplete evac and even having to use my hand to help if I havn't ate well. I cannot splint, it doesn't seem to work like it just pushes wrong. I know there can be normal variations in how your body is, but basically this started happening last november quite suddenly, like within a week, and my body hsn't felt right since, I think a sudden change is never a good thing but the drs are just saying my ibs has switched to chronic C ibs when I go all the time it's just how it looks and how it feels that has changed and sometimes even my bowel almost feels tired or sore, like it is phyically exhausted. The problem is I am only 21 and so they more or less just rule out anything like a prolapse due to my age.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

IBS is much more likely to start suddenly than your anatomy completely rearranges it self all on one day.IBS often starts after a GI infection, so that can very much be a "I got sick one day and haven't been right since" sort of situation.Rectal hypersensitivity is very common in IBS when people are anatomically normal. The rectum acts at very small fill levels (urgent need to go, or pain at fill levels that should be completely ignored) like it is full to bursting. When they test people with IBS 70% of them have rectal hypersensitivity and test for this (while not commonly used for diagnosis) are often used in clinical trials to help quantify if a particular treatment helps.6 small BM's a day is pretty classic for rectal hypersensitivity.Incomplete evacuation (feeling you still need to go even if you can't go) is also a classic IBS symptom.I don't know why the doctors call you constipated. I wouldn't. But other than that I don't know why you feel that very common IBS problems just can't be IBS in your case?Now some people also have pelvic floor issues (so they may have to strain a lot, and straining a lot is often a symptom of constipation even if it can happen with any stool consistency and frequency) and getting pelvic floor testing to make sure you can relax the sphincter when you need to go is likely to be more fruitful than insisting they fix your uterus when it most likely has been like that since before you were born.


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## thelibertine (Sep 8, 2009)

Hi kathleen thanks for the response. I've had IBS now for nearly three years after an infection so I know IBS and what it is, I'm not so much worried by rushing to the loo etc. I've been doing that for years. The problem is something coming out of my bottom, it just feels completely wrong when I try to move my bowels, something has changed.And I quite agree I'm not even sure the uterus is a correct diagnossis as it did not come up on the ultrasound, the dr simply guessed. This is what I am trying to say really, albeit badly, I'm sure there is something wrong with my pelvic floor even if not a complete prolapse, something just feels wrong down there.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Sounds like it is worth getting the pelvic floor evaluated. Have you asked for that kind of testing? Both GI and GYN doctors sometimes work with those issues and if neither of them will even consider doing that testing at all, nor do any tests to see if you have a prolapse then you need new doctors.


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## thelibertine (Sep 8, 2009)

I've been going to the drs for a few months about these issues and most of them have been horrible and just put me on laxatives, stool softeners or suggested I need more fibre when my stomach is quite upset enough!I had a nice lady doctor who said my rectum shape was abnormal and something felt like it wasn't right when she examined me gyn, she sent me for ultrasounds but they're all clear and she said I most likely have a retroverted uterus hence this thread, she then went on like the other doctors to make the suggestion of taking laxatives or osmotics constantly.It's just so frustrating and I often come out of the drs and cry because I will clearly say 'there is something coming out of my bottom' and they ignore it and say something that refers to constipation like 'sometimes the bowel stretches' etc. It is just getting so hard and I've tried with several doctors and I swear to god they all think I'm insane.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Have you tried "can I get evaluated for a rectal prolapse as that seems to fit some of my symptoms?" or "I would like to have my pelvic floor tested as some of my issues seem to fit with that?" And if they say you don't fit ask what the symptoms of those things are, and why your symptoms do not match.Sometimes there can be a communication issue and how people describe symptoms sometimes makes it hard for the doctors to guess what is going on. I know it can be frustrating, but it may be worth seeing if you could see a colo-rectal surgeon? After all the people who fix them should also be capable of getting you sent to the people who evaluated them.If the gynecolgist seems to listen better maybe they are the one to ask about that kind of functional testing.


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## thelibertine (Sep 8, 2009)

Yeah I think I do need to go out right and just ask Kathleen, it just takes me a while to even make the appointment these days because I get so upset and depressed that I will just come out no better and it tends to cause a lot of stress and upset everytime I do go because of this. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to start demanding things but I guess I will, it took me over 2 years to get an endoscopy which in the end I ended up demanding.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

And sometimes when you come into the appointment already upset it does make doctors have a harder time figuring out what is going on with you, and often that means the patient doesn't get the most important things communicated effectively.Writing out what you want to ask about (and saying this sounds like what I have, can we check for that, or what symptoms would indicate that) isn't just about being demanding, it can be about setting up a good channel of communication.I do find writing things out ahead of time helps in the doctors office to keep at least me focused on what is the important things that need to be communicated or asked about. I've had my share of meltdowns at the doctor, but since I'm usually pretty calm and focused in the appointments that usually gets them into action because the know it really has gotten bad. However if every single appointment is a meltdown it gets hard to tell what is really going on with a patient.Try to avoid working yourself up to a meltdown ahead of time. Like I said sometimes having a written out list of questions (and maybe have someone else read them so you can word them in a "lets work on this together" rather than a "demanding" way.


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## thelibertine (Sep 8, 2009)

That sounds like a good idea, I often get embarrased in the drs and don't mention things I meant to, like I havn't mentioned a few times I've had to use my hand to help. I dunno I just get flustered and forget to mention everything and even often play it off as less worse than it is. Then it's usually after I get upset so a list certainly sounds like a good idea.


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## Diana63 (Oct 20, 2009)

I live in the UK,and over here Physiotherapists can test your Pelvic Floor.Dont know if that is the same where you live?


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## thelibertine (Sep 8, 2009)

I just want to update and tell you all that I've been referred to a cororectal surgeon to see if there is any type of prolapse. I've also been given an osmotic laxative as waste seems to be getting stuck quite often (probably due to a possible prolapse) and also have to keep using suppositaries when needed.Thanks for all of your support! Hopefully it wont be too long before the appointment and they'll be able to help me.


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