Acupuncture For Cystocele

A cystocele, also sometimes called a bladder hernia, occurs when the wall that separates the bladder and the vagina weakens. This causes the bladder to drop into the vagina, resulting in a distinctive bulge at the vaginal opening. A cystocele can develop after childbirth or as a result of pelvic floor dysfunction, but there are many contributing factors. This condition can lead to a variety of genitourinary symptoms, including chronic UTIs and pelvic pain. If you’re struggling with a cystocele and looking for natural solutions to the problem, acupuncture for cystocele symptoms can be highly effective. 

Acupuncture normalizes both muscle function and hormone levels, both of which can contribute to the development of a cystocele. In some cases, acupuncture can prevent the need for cystocele surgery and eliminate genitourinary symptoms.

What is a cystocele?

A cystocele is a prolapse of the anterior wall of the vagina, which results in the bladder falling into the vagina. The bladder may only lean into the vagina a bit, or it could prolapse completely, resulting in a large round bulge that sticks through the opening of the vagina. The severity of a cystocele can vary.

If you’ve got a cystocele, you know that it can be quite uncomfortable. The bulging bladder leads to a sensation of pressure in the vagina, and the pain may radiate to the back and surrounding pelvic muscles. A cystocele can make urination difficult, as you may feel you need to urinate urgently or frequently, and can never fully empty your bladder. For some women, a cystocele can trigger chronic UTIs.

The physical bulging of the bladder into the vagina can make sex painful, although it is worth noting that sex is not believed to worsen a pelvic organ prolapse. That said, if you’ve got a cystocele, that’s a good indication that you’ve also got pelvic floor dysfunction. 

What causes a cystocele to develop?

There are bands of muscle and connective tissue in the pelvis all designed to keep your bladder, bowels, uterus, and other pelvic organs in place. But when these muscles become weak, or when they suffer trauma, they are no longer able to function as they should. And this may result in some organs leaning onto other organs for support. 

Sometimes, a cystocele develops as a result of a hormonal issue. The organs in the genitourinary tract are estrogen-sensitive, and when estrogen levels fluctuate, as they do during pregnancy or menopause, this can encourage a cystocele to develop. 

But, most often, a cystocele is the result of stretching and/or physical trauma of some kind to the muscles surrounding the bladder and uterus. Pregnancy and childbirth (and not just vaginal childbirth, but C-sections as well) are the primary causes of cystoceles, but obesity, routinely lifting heavy loads, chronic constipation that leads to excessive straining during bowel movements, and even coughing too much can also contribute to prolapse.

Other risk factors can put you at risk of developing a cystocele. Sometimes, women who have undergone hysterectomies develop cystoceles. With the uterus removed, the bladder may have trouble staying in place. But even with their uteruses in place, some women are genetically predisposed to cystoceles. Whatever may be contributing to your cystocele, you know just how uncomfortable they can be.

How does acupuncture treat a cystocele?

Using acupuncture to correct a cystocele may sound crazy. After all, how could a few needles in your muscles encourage your bladder to get back into the proper position? But acupuncture’s effectiveness when it comes to treating this condition stems mostly from its ability to normalize muscle function. And the better the muscles in your pelvic floor work, the better your cystocele symptoms will be. 

Acupuncture exerts a strong effect on the nervous system, triggering deep muscle tissues to relax. In the case of a prolapse, this may sound counterintuitive. The goal should be to strengthen the muscles, right? Not to loosen them. But the truth is, your muscles can’t build strength if they never fully relax. And since acupuncture helps muscles relax and contract normally, it’s the key to regaining pelvic floor function. 

In a study, acupuncture was found to improve pelvic floor dysfunction in postpartum women. After four weeks of daily treatments, acupuncture (along with pelvic floor exercises) resulted in a 3.8cm decrease in bladder neck descent. The study also showed that acupuncture reduced the risk of uterine prolapse.   

Acupuncture regulates hormones to improve cystocele symptoms

The physical effects of acupuncture can’t be overstated. But acupuncture is also beneficial on a hormonal level, and that can influence cystocele symptoms, too. Because women are at an increased risk of developing a cystocele after menopause and other hormonal changes, and because the muscles in the genitourinary tract are highly sensitive to estrogen, it’s worth it to focus on hormonal health.

Keeping your stress and sex hormones in check can be a balancing act. But the prospect becomes much easier when you utilize acupuncture. Regular acupuncture sessions influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, normalizing estrogen levels to keep your pelvic floor muscles in prime condition. And, if you’re dealing with other hormone-related issues, like menstrual pain or infertility, acupuncture can help you there as well!

In addition to acupuncture, we may recommend herbal medicine to keep your hormones in check. Certain herbs can be used to regulate hormone levels and alleviate cystocele symptoms. If you’re dealing with a concurrent issue, like PCOS, we can consider these factors as well to create an herbal treatment protocol that supports your body’s unique needs.

Please note that herbal medicine should never be self-prescribed. If you would like to learn more about using herbal remedies to alleviate your symptoms, contact a licensed herbalist to assist you. Taking herbs without knowing which ones you need could worsen your condition. 

Contact Integrative Healing Arts today

A cystocele can make your life difficult, but you have options. Acupuncture has proven to be a safe and effective supportive therapy for cystocele, and pelvic floor health in general. 

At Integrative Healing Arts, improving the lives and well-being of our clients is what we’re all about. If you’re ready to find out for yourself just how healing acupuncture can be, get in touch with us today, and we’ll help you book your first appointment.