Cystocele & Urinary Tract Infections: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

If you feel pressure in the area of your pelvis and vagina, or you experience a sensation like you are sitting on an egg when you sit down and have recurrent bladder infections, you could have a condition called bladder slippage.

Bladder Slippage

• Bladder slippage, or cystocele, is a condition in which the tissues that hold your bladder in place weaken and the bladder slips down and protrudes into your vagina.

Bladder Infection

• A bladder infection, or cystitis, occurs when bacteria enters your bladder and causes an infection there or in your urinary tract, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Symptoms

• One of the symptoms of bladder slippage is a bladder infection that returns repeatedly. Bladder slippage makes it difficult for you to empty your bladder completely, which puts you at an increased risk for bladder infections.

Significance

• Women who have given birth vaginally are at the greatest risk for bladder slippage, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Treatment

• Bladder infections can be treated with antibiotics. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says bladder slippage can be treated with a pessary, a device placed into your vagina that holds your bladder in place. Surgery to tighten the supportive tissues that support your bladder is also an option.