Diagnosis

Diagnosis of anterior prolapse may involve:

• A pelvic exam. You may be examined while lying down and possibly while standing up. During the exam, your doctor looks for a tissue bulge into your vagina that indicates pelvic organ prolapse. You'll likely be asked to bear down as if during a bowel movement to see how much that affects the degree of prolapse. To check the strength of your pelvic floor muscles, you'll be asked to contract them, as if you're trying to stop the stream of urine.
• Filling out a questionnaire. You may fill out a form that helps your doctor assess your medical history, the degree of your prolapse and how much it affects your quality of life. This information also helps guide treatment decisions.
• Bladder and urine tests. If you have significant prolapse, you might be tested to see how well and completely your bladder empties. Your doctor might also run a test on a urine sample to look for signs of a bladder infection, if it seems that you're retaining more urine in your bladder than is normal after urinating.