Working as a deli manager, Rashan Williams needs to lift some heavy boxes. It was while bending over to do that when she would notice something \u201cshift.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t painful. But she knew something was wrong, especially when she went to the bathroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would wipe. I would feel a bulge, like something was hanging out [of my vagina],\u201d the 42-year-old from St. Petersburg, Florida, said. <\/p>\n
Years passed, and the bulge dropped lower and lower.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could maneuver it,\u201d she said. \u201cI can push it out. I can flip it to the side. It was just crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rashan Williams had to deal with constant bathroom breaks and a \u201cbulge\u201d coming out of her vagina. Orlando Health<\/p>\n
Williams would later learn she was suffering from a pelvic organ prolapse, a condition in which the pelvic floor muscles and tissue weaken, causing surrounding organs \u2014 like the bladder, uterus or bowels \u2014 to sag into the vaginal canal.<\/p>\n
Up to 50%<\/a> of all women will experience some prolapse in their lifetime, with childbirth, heavier body weight and aging all increasing risk. Yet only 18-50% of them<\/a> seek medical attention. And 30% of women<\/a> aren\u2019t aware surgery can fix the problem.<\/p>\n Williams was one of the women who tried to get answers \u2014 and it took 10 years to learn what was happening to her.<\/p>\n Battle with the bulge<\/p>\n Besides the bulge, Williams also experienced heavy periods and was constantly needing to pee, requiring frequent breaks at work.<\/p>\n Yet she saw multiple obstetricians who didn\u2019t see anything wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cI kept getting the door shut in my face, because everybody was telling me they didn\u2019t see anything. Nothing was wrong,\u201d she said. \u201cAfter going to so many doctors over the years, that caused me to get discouraged and I just kind of stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams said she had to constantly run to the bathroom with the pressure being put on her bladder. Orlando Health<\/p>\n The prolapse never affected her ability to walk and she was never in pain. But that \u201cblock\u201d was still there.<\/p>\n \u201cI kept going to doctors and they weren\u2019t seeing nothing wrong,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI\u2019m like, if I feel it, how can y\u2019all not see it?\u201d<\/p>\n