Exercising and Fitness with Pelvic Organ Prolapse:
Which Program is the Best Program for Me?

Research indicates that up to 50% of women have some degree of prolapse, but women are unaware of it because POP screening during routine pelvic exams has not yet become standardized and in general POP is not talked about openly. Common symptoms of POP are vaginal tissues bulging out, vaginal, rectal, back, or pelvic pain or pressure, urinary incontinence, difficulty starting the urine stream, chronic constipation, fecal incontinence, pain with intimacy, lack of intimate sensation, and/or tampons pushing out. Every woman’s body is different, and considering there are 5 types of POP, 4 degrees of severity, and our bodies come in all shapes, sizes, and unique degrees of strength and muscle integrity, women’s fitness needs vary considerably. There is no one size fits all in POP fitness.

In an effort to provide guidance about the different POP fitness programs available, a group of physical therapists, the Pelvic Physical Therapy Distance Journal Club, examined programs that were available through the summer of 2019, and analyzed them to provide guidance to women using them.

Here is a link to the academic paper which includes a comprehensive list and analysis of the POP fitness programs included, built in a collaborative effort between the Pelvic Physical Therapy Distance Journal Club and APOPS:
Review of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Exercise Websites.