What is Colposuspension

You have been leaking urine if you strain, or cough, or run. This is called stress incontinence, meaning the stress of physical activity, not emotional stress. The problem lies in the floor of the pelvis. This is a sheet of special muscle stretching across the inside of the pelvis. You can feel it tighten when you try to hold the urine in. The uterus and the bladder both lie above the pelvic floor. The vagina and the opening of the bladder (the urethra) pass through the floor. If the pelvic floor weakens, the uterus and bladder drop down. The control of the urine is weakened. The operation strengthens the pelvic floor to lift the uterus and bladder back up again. It is called a colposuspension, from the Greek name for the vagina - colpos.

The Operation

You will have a general anaesthetic, and will be completely asleep. The skin is usually opened with a cut across of the tummy. This will be a "bikini" incision , just above the hair line. Sometimes an up and down incision is used. Under the skin, the bladder is freed up. The pelvic floor is tightened up with special stitches. The wound and the skin are then closed.