Association for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support - APOPS

01/21/2026

POP impacts women teens through long past menopause onset. 5 types. 4 grades of severity. Multiple types of POP occurring simultaneously. Nulliparous (never given birth), parous-premenopausal (post birth b/4 menopause), parous-postmenopausal (post birth during/after menopause). Women's needs are extremely unique.

The more I see ultrasound or MRI imaging utilization to clarify POP clarify reality prior to surgery, the bigger the smile on my face.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-35598-z

01/19/2026

Gravity and load impact the pelvic floor.

For years APOPS has been preaching to the women we serve to demand to be screened for pelvic organ prolapse standing when your PCPs and gynes tell you the POP is not that bad, yet symptoms are pronounced.

Example: 60 year young woman in supine (laying down) and inclined showed no prolapse. Laying down vs standing up in image show the difference in organ drop. Standing imaging isn't a maybe in POP, it's a must.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34464248/

01/16/2026

TGIF

01/16/2026

Lifestyle and behaviors can provide clues to better understand what we need to adjust to optimize day-to-day navigation of pelvic organ prolapse. Tune in to your body!

01/14/2026

Advancing clinical guidelines is challenging.

Pelvic organ prolapse is a diverse, multisystem connective tissue and neuromuscular condition with gynecologic expression - not simply a localized vaginal defect. Given the diverse causals in the pelvic organ prolapse space multiplying the risk factor, shouldn't there be targeted standardized screening?

When a condition is common, shrouded, and insufficiently screened for or discussed during routine exams, it's time to assess and address the shortfall in women's wellness best practice.

01/13/2026

Every now and then I receive a message from a patient that makes me sit straight up. I recently received a message from a woman who asked if I had ever heard of having to remove a pessary via surgery because there was flesh growing around it (yes I have). She clarified she had no pain but was experiencing complications. Then she asked if she could just

LET THE PESSARY DECOMPOSE IN HER BODY.

Pessaries are commonly used for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse.

A medical device is only as valuable as the training received to insert them properly.

How well are diagnostic practitioners providing pelvic exams trained in pessary fitting and removal?

How well are patients trained in routine pessary maintenance?

How well do patients adhere to pessary instructions?

The missing links.

01/12/2026

We see/hear plenty about the value of women's health PT AFTER birthing to address pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence concerns. What women are rarely referred to is PT therapy to condition the vaginal/perineal tissues prior to heading into labor to reduce tissue tearing.

https://journals.lww.com/tcmj/fulltext/9900/the_role_of_prelabor_pelvic_floor_muscle_training.119.aspx

01/08/2026

Reality check. LOVING the O Positive Health State of the Va**na Report.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/o-positiv-healths-2026-state-150000369.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANV1NPYJs7HtNWM4wx1EY-js1ovouXC1iwxgEHDodMUoTnohKFPmq8PJVR14ZNF6-aIDeF57Zh76O_EDk2E4JLUjkZ-j64Vg7dRpgaR2VPxviHUclebQWk_0EzpThWF9euD-2uS56NnuRHNg91_7GaeqIFWoyubbWGLUPpUn6eGU

01/07/2026

APOPS energy is deeply committed to advancing with women's bladder, bowel, and intimate pelvic health awareness, screening, best practice, and policy. Every baby step forward is critical to the big picture. Thank you Pennsylvania Rep. Gina H. Curry for introducing this legislation to permit nurse-midwives the capacity to help the women they serve capture the medical treatments they deserve in a timely fashion.

https://www.pahouse.com/InTheNews/NewsRelease/?id=141494

HARRISBURG, Dec. 18 – Women who choose nurse midwives as providers for pregnancy and delivery could have easier access to pelvic floor therapy thanks to legislation introduced by state Rep. Gina H. Curry, D-Delaware, that passed the House Wednesday.“Pelvic floor issues are extremely...

01/06/2026

Men should be made aware of common female below-the-waist health conditions and women should be made aware of common male below-the-waist health conditions.

I am always happy to hear questions from the men in audiences. In the first two years of providing speeches to the lay community about pelvic organ prolapse, I was pretty surprised that a few men attend the presentations. I'm guessing some wive's coerced them to attend to clarify their experiences. One man was a caregiver for his mother. One mentioned a sister suffering in silence.

Industry presentations to educate sales reps clarified they knew the POP basics, but little about the quality of life impacts. Questions come through APOPS website from men on a relatively regular basis.

Just last week a male family friend who knows about my POP nonprofit backdrop reached out in my kitchen, stumbling around a question related to intimacy, until I straight up asked him if he meant what I felt he was hinting about. In general, I find males don't experience POP personally so they are generally not as embarrassed to ask the most personal questions.

APOPS educates women about POP all day every day. It fills me with hope when men ask about POP. Every question from a man clarifies one step forward in leveling the stigma playing field.

01/05/2026

Whether or not women are sexually active, the pelvic organ prolapse impact to sexuality is real.

Body image is a marker of self-esteem. I wonder how many women are asked about their sexuality during routine wellness exams. It should be a standard query during most below-the-waist exams (for both women and men), and especially pelvic exams. Thrilled this study included both sexually active and inactive women.

Fresh off the press. I would love to see this study in the 30-50 age range. Thanks for tossing it my way Paul Nelson, LMHC Nelson.

https://academic.oup.com/smoa/article/13/6/qfaf100/8379499

01/02/2026

TGIF