The number of unfortunate patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) for the past years has been overwhelming; each one has had different levels of intensity. Not knowing the five factors that increase the risk of POP aside from the overexpansion of the vagina through childbirth, most of these women thought that only those who have given birth vaginally are at risk.

The medical condition known by many as rectal prolapse (and also referred to as rectocele by medical experts), is described as the repositioning of the end part of the large intestine from its usual place into the posterior end of the vaginal wall. There are many factors that lead to its development. This inadvertently happens after a woman gives birth to a large baby or has gone through successions of vaginal deliveries. The rectovaginal fascia is exposed to greater pressure during labor in any of these conditions, lacerating this thin bodily structure and causing the rectum to shift toward the vagina.

Episiotomies, which are planned surgical incisions made by the doctor to both the perineum and the back part of the vaginal wall after a vaginal delivery, also make it easier for the rectum to be displaced.In some instances during a forceps delivery, more pressure may be placed into the vaginal wall which could later injure the rectovaginal septum.

Another major cause for rectocele condition is the increase in pelvic floor pressure. The pelvic floor consists of connective tissues and muscles that stretch below the pelvis providing a stronger structural support to the pelvic organs. If this network of muscles and tissues are strained, especially in the run up to defecating, an organ prolapse like rectocele is most likely to happen.

There are specific conditions when the pelvic floor is subjected to intense pressure like when a patient has a continuing cough, constant constipation, the habit of lifting heavy objects for a long time, and being excessively fat which directs more weight to the vaginal wall in prolonged standing.

In some cases, patients with the mild level of rectal prolapse do not experience any symptoms at all. Often, the first signs are the same as when one is having constipation. This is the main reason why most patients with rectocele only seek medical help when the prolapsed part protrudes from the body through the anus or the vaginal opening.

For severe rectal prolapse, surgery is the best option for the patient.However, recent news about a commonly used medical implant known as vaginal mesh showed negative outcomes after the procedure. For those patients who had the complications after the application of this vaginal mesh implant, they had to take legal actions through the help of a litigator.