She Thought It Was Just Age – Until Her Body Said “Enough”

Photo from Freepik

She came into the clinic with her daughter, moving slowly, like every step cost her something. She wasn’t groaning or crying, but you could feel the pain. It wasn’t just in her body but it was in her silence.

She had seven children, some born at home, others in hospitals, none with proper follow-up care. For years, she felt a strange heaviness in her lower body. Sometimes it felt like something was coming down. She assumed it was just age. “Maybe this is how women feel after menopause” she told herself.

So, like many women do, she kept managing it.

She would clean herself constantly, Sit carefully and avoid standing for too long. Pretend everything was fine.

But one day, it wasn’t fine anymore.

The heaviness became a bulge. The bulge started to smell. She couldn’t urinate properly. Couldn’t walk far. Couldn’t live freely. That’s when she finally came to the hospital  and by then, the bulge was pushing out of her body.

Diagnosis: Uterine Prolapse.

It sounds like a big word, but here’s what it means, the muscles and tissues holding your uterus in place have become weak. So, the uterus starts to drop into the vagina, and in severe cases, it comes out entirely.

Scary? Yes. But treatable? Also, yes.

She got surgery and walked out days later, smiling. She told her daughter, “I feel like a young girl again!” We all laughed.

But truthfully, not every woman gets lucky like that.

Let’s Talk About It: What Exactly Is Uterine Prolapse?

Many women, especially in our communities, experience symptoms but don’t speak up. They think it’s just age or “after-birth problem.”

But uterine prolapse is a real medical condition. And it can cause:

• Difficulty peeing or passing stool
• Pain during sex
• Urine leakage (yes, that “pee smell” some older women quietly live with)
• Discomfort when walking or standing
• Emotional distress or shame
• It’s more common in women who:
• Have had multiple vaginal births
• Delivered babies with no postpartum care
• Started childbearing early
• Lift heavy things after childbirth
• Experience chronic coughing or constipation
• Are aging without pelvic support

So, What Can Be Done? There are two main treatment paths: non-surgical and surgical.

If it’s caught early (Stage I or II), simple things like Kegel exercises (tightening and releasing the pelvic muscles), using a pessary (a small device that holds things in place), and diet changes can help.

When it’s more advanced (Stage III), surgery is usually the best option  either to repair the pelvic floor or remove the uterus.

Why Are We Talking About This?

 Because too many women are suffering quietly. They’re embarrassed. They’re told “it’s old age,” or “it’s just menopause.” They’re told to pray, tighten their wrapper, and drink herbs.

But this isn’t something to manage with shame. It’s something to treat with love, dignity, and proper care.

A Little Humour Never Hurt Honestly, when the woman said, “I feel like a young girl again,” we all laughed, but we felt that joy in our hearts. That’s what health should feel like — light, free, full of relief. Nobody deserves to live life clenched and uncomfortable, dragging a body that feels like it’s failing them.

Final Words

If you’re a woman and you feel a bulge, discomfort, or something doesn’t feel right down there talk to a doctor. If you’ve had multiple births and never really healed, get checked. And if you’re a health worker, mother, friend, or daughter  help others speak up.

Let’s normalize these conversations. Let’s give more women the chance to smile and say, “I thought it was just age… but now, I feel like myself again.”