# My urethra is...



## veryerin (Jul 29, 2007)

um...open??? I am 9 weeks postpartum, after a wonderful natural birth I might add, and after my PP checkup I was checking my lady parts out with a mirror and saw that my urethra is open! Is this normal? I am still wearing panty liners and I think I am leaking a little. I had a ten hour labor with only 25-30 mins of pushing, so nothing overly traumatic. I am doing kegels like mad...anyone else have this?


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## HeatherB (Jan 30, 2003)

Try Googling "cystocele". I was looking it up recently and seem to recall that as a possible symptom. Kegels are the best cure! Keep 'em up!


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## dantesmama (May 14, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HeatherB* 
Try Googling "cystocele". I was looking it up recently and seem to recall that as a possible symptom. Kegels are the best cure! Keep 'em up!


Yep, sounds like a cystocele. I call it a saggy bladder. I'm 12 weeks pp and have the same thing, along with mild uterine prolapse, and an open urethra was the first thing that tipped me off. If you feel the front wall of your vagina and feel a soft bulge, that's your bladder. I was devastated when I found out, but after doing some research I learned that about half of all women have some degree of pelvic organ prolapse after giving birth. Many have no symptoms and never know about it. I had an easy labor, too - 5ish hours with maybe 15 minutes of pushing, an unassisted birth - and I'm young and in good shape. http://www.wholewoman.com has a lot of good information about prolapse.


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## HeatherB (Jan 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dantesmama* 
Yep, sounds like a cystocele. I call it a saggy bladder. I'm 12 weeks pp and have the same thing, along with mild uterine prolapse, and an open urethra was the first thing that tipped me off. If you feel the front wall of your vagina and feel a soft bulge, that's your bladder. I was devastated when I found out, but after doing some research I learned that about half of all women have some degree of pelvic organ prolapse after giving birth. Many have no symptoms and never know about it. I had an easy labor, too - 5ish hours with maybe 15 minutes of pushing, an unassisted birth - and I'm young and in good shape. http://www.wholewoman.com has a lot of good information about prolapse.

Yes, my MW says that the vast majority of women who have ever been pregnant (including those with c/s and no actual pushing/birth!) have some degree of cystocele or rectocele. In extreme cases some docs do surgery, but it doesn't necessarily help. The Kegels are what can fix it by strengthening the muscles and keeping all the organs where they belong.

There used to be a mama on MDC with a sig along the lines of:








: Come on everybody, let's Kegel!







:

I always got a kick out of it - and remembered to do my Kegels!


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## veryerin (Jul 29, 2007)

Yeah I think it is a mild cystocele. I can't feel a bulge, and my midwife didn't mention anything about one when I had my pp checkup, but I feel all this achy pressure when I jog or go on long walks. Plus the open urethra! I notice if I kegel a lot and lay off jogging a couple days it looks closed. But after I jog - wide open! Ug. Kegel away!!!


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## ~NewMa~ (Nov 20, 2007)

I think it's normal. Your urethra is an opening. You'll notice on the days that it is "closed", that if you cough or bear down it will "wink" at you or "open". I'm kinda having a hard time understanding completely though maybe. If your MW just checked you out and didn't say anything about your urethra looking abnormal I wouldn't be too concerned. Is this PP period the first time you've taken a mirror to yourself?
I'd love to know if this turns out to actually be something wrong.


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