Having a vaginal birth is the biggest risk factor for bladder prolapse in women. The second-biggest factor is menopause; as the hormone balance in a woman’s body shifts, the lowering estrogen levels naturally loosen the vaginal tissue and the surrounding pelvic floor muscles. Many women will have surgery to tighten the tissue and repair the prolapse. If the prolapse is significant enough—for instance, part of the bladder actually falls out of the vaginal opening, or the uterus does, cervix slumping down past the vaginal walls—some women may even have the vaginal opening surgically closed to
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