Cystocele - Causes of a pelvic organ prolapse

There is rarely a single cause of pelvic organ prolapse. It is usually the result of a combination of things.

The risk of developing pelvic organ prolapse can be increased by:

• your age – prolapse is more common as you get older
• childbirth, particularly if you had a long or difficult labour or gave birth to multiple babies or a large baby
• changes caused by the menopause, such as weakening of tissue and low levels of the hormone oestrogen
• being overweight or obese, which creates extra pressure in the pelvic area
• previous pelvic surgery, such as a hysterectomy or bladder repair
• repeated heavy lifting and manual work
• long-term coughing – for example, if you smoke or have a lung condition
• excessive straining when going to the toilet because of long-term constipation 

Other medical conditions

There are some conditions that cause weakening of the tissues in your body and can make a prolapse more likely, including:

• joint hypermobility syndrome, where your joints are very loose
• Marfan syndrome, an inherited condition that affects the blood vessels, eyes and skeleton  
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a group of inherited conditions that affect collagen proteins in the body