This article falls into the category of I-should-know-about-my-body and is empowering to you! A lot of women face many problems with their bodies. Learn how to cure retroverted uterus with simple exercises.
Even the scientific community is not sure about a lot of things. However, thanks to recent medical studies in the past decade, women’s health studies has exponentially increased, and now we have a precise understanding of a woman’s body in the aspects of their reproductive health.
Did you know that there are chances that are your uterus is tilted? Not only that pregnancy may also affect the position of your uterus. Now you may have a couple of questions like what happens to me if I have a retroverted uterus, retroverted uterus treatment- is it a possibility? And a barrage of other questions.
Well, to answer the primary question on your mind, a retroverted uterus is usually just another variable that differentiates us from others. Typically, it is not a factor of concern, but very rarely it tends to be a complication such as an underlying health condition or having problems
A lot of women who suffer from retroverted uterus complain about having discomfort or pain in the pelvic area. The pain could arise during intercourse, periods or any physically strenuous activity.
According to The Fenway Medical Sentinel from 1906, the belief has been that the uterus “moves freely forward and backward,” and “if the rectum and bladder are empty, the uterus forms almost a right angle with the vagina.” This refers to the anteverted uterus, the normal position of the uterus.
So you may have a question, What is a tilted uterus? Which way is it tilted? How to fix a tilted uterus?
What Is A Retroverted Uterus?
A lot of medical professionals and women who suffer from this condition colloquially refer to it as the tilted uterus or tipped uterus. In this condition, the uterus is tilted backward anatomically from its ‘supposed’ position, and all of the stress is placed on the lower back. anatomically
Bat-Sheva L. Maslow, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at Extend Fertility, says that having a tilted uterus is normal as being left-handed.
She also adds “Although this is a little uncommon, it is not abnormal.” In fact, one in five women has a tilted uterus.
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Why Do You Have A Retroverted Uterus?
Joshua M. Hurwitz, an OB-GYN, at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut says that “ This condition can be the way some women are built; it is perfectly natural and mostly harmless.” (2)
If you are still wondering how do you have this, it is mostly developed at birth. In some cases, they are due to physical changes that occur in the body. The most common form is caused by endometriosis or fibroids. This scar can pull the uterus down resulting in a retroverted uterus. These conditions can sometimes even cause scarring in the abdomen, which can further cause the uterus to shift backward.
It is strongly advised that you visit your obstetrician when you pain accompanied with a tilted uterus, as it could sometimes be a sign for endometriosis, a condition in which the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb.
Retroverted Uterus and Pregnancy
There are chances that you might also develop a tilted uterus after pregnancy as well. It could majorly be because of the ligaments that are holding the uterus in place. These ligaments loosen up during the pregnancy and causing a retroverted uterus.
As these are all conditions that are beyond your control, there is no way to prevent a retroverted uterus.
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Signs You Might Have A Retroverted Uterus!
As Hurwitz says “Most women with a retroverted uterus never know that they have it until a pelvic exam or a pelvic ultrasound is performed”
He also adds “Tilted uterus symptoms are hard to get aware of, the prime population suffering from this condition don’t exhibit any symptoms and are not aware they have a retroverted uterus unless a doctor tells them.”
Now, that’s a sigh of relief. Maybe you let it out too soon because some women with this condition experience severe pain during their menstrual cycle.
The pain is most commonly located at the lower back or near the abdomen. In some rare cases, it is also seen that women have extreme pain during intercourse or while using a tampon, as the uterus that is so tilted that it puts a lot of pressure on the vagina causing this distress.
How To Cure Retroverted Uterus?
The vast majority of women who suffer from a retroverted uterus mostly don’t present any symptoms. Hence this condition doesn’t need treatment.
However, if your body is cramping during periods, you have severe pain in the lower back regions during intercourse/period. It could be about time you get an appointment with your obstetrician
While your on some regimen of drugs for your pain, you could effectively integrate these exercises and treatment options for your retroverted uterus.
Exercises for a Retroverted Uterus
After your consultation with your obstetrician, he/she might come to a consensus as to whether your uterus could be manually manipulated to its upright position. In this scenario, it is advised that you follow retroverted uterus exercises to give you relief from that severe pain and also doing this will help you set your uterus to stay in the upright position.
1. Kegel Exercises
In recent times, this regimen has garnered a lot of supporters, and for the right reason, most women who suffer from a tilted uterus have vowed in favor of these exercises. Let us take a more in-depth look into these exercises.
Your pelvic floor muscles and ligaments are the ones that hold your uterus in place. For whatsoever reason it may be, if these ligaments are loosened, they cause your uterus to tilt.
Steps To Perform This Exercise
- You would need to identify your pelvic floor muscles that are present in the vagina, don’t be alarmed. You would need to insert a finger into your vagina.
- Now contract your vaginal muscles or the muscles surrounding your finger. If you do this correctly, you should feel your pelvic floor move upward during the contraction.
- Now you need to relax the contraction of your vaginal walls, and you should now feel the pelvic floor muscles move down.
- Once you have had the hang of this, perform 5 contractions in a row, holding each one of the contractions for 10 seconds and relaxing for ten seconds after a contraction.
- Perform one set of 10 repetitions, thrice daily. This will not only strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. It will also help in repositioning your uterus.
2. Knee to Chest Exercises
In order to treatment retroverted uterus, this exercise is a proven technique that can not only help you reposition your uterus but will also help you build a fitter abdomen.
Although this is not a permanent fix, it will help you alleviate the pain that you experience with a tilted uterus and will help you put the uterus back in place.
Steps To Perform This Exercise
- For this, you need to find an even surface and place a mat over it. It is also suggested that you wear loose clothes so you could perform this exercise with much more ease. Begin it by laying down on the mat and bend both knees, and you need to plant your feet firmly on the floor.
- While keeping your left foot on the floor, bring your right knee to the chest. Hold in this position for about 10-15 seconds.
- Then return to your resting position. Perform one set of 10 repetitions on both legs, three times a day.
3. Kangaroo Walk
The back muscles present near and around the spinal cord is called the erector spinea muscles. These muscles play a crucial role in helping you sit and stand properly.
It also enables you to bend backward and straight to the side. In this muscle, we would be concentrating on this muscle to help you reposition your uterus using a to and fro motion.
Steps To Perform This Exercise
- For this exercise, you’d need to be on all fours on the ground. Now straighten your arms and lift your hips to the ceiling.
- Now push your abdomen forward by keeping your knees slightly flexed and your back arched. Walk on all fours with your knees slightly bent.
- As you perform the kangaroo, your uterus is being pulled forward for each step. You could benefit substantially from this exercise by performing it regularly daily for a few minutes.
4. Yoga For Retroverted Uterus
Yoga is an ancient discipline of exercise that originated from India, in recent times it has gained a lot of traction for its healing capabilities and its incredible pain management of several ailments.
For retroverted uterus they are several yoga poses that you could try, albeit one should take notice that there are a few yoga poses that are strictly prohibited such as headstands, handstand and any inversion of the body out the natural way. It is advised that you focus on the restorative and safe yoga poses for retroverted uterus during this period.
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Navasana (Boat Pose)
The navasana or colloquially referred to as the boat pose is the one that helps establish balance and can help in pain management. It is typically used during pregnancy, however, it could be used for managing the pain caused by the retroverted uterus.
Steps to Perform This Pose
In this pose, you balance on your butt and lift your upper body and legs so your body forms the shape of the letter ‘V’.
As you reach past your knees with your extended arms, your lower stomach will work on keeping the balance and helps in pain management. It is also to be noted that a prolapsed uterus also falls back into the place with this exercise.
Uddiyana Bandha (Upper Abdominal Lock)
This yoga pose incorporates a specific breathing technique combined with a standing posture to engage your lower abdominal organs, especially your uterus. It is known to help in pain management and also helps in setting the prolapsed uterus back to place.
Steps to Perform This Pose
To do this pose, bend at your waist and then your knees slightly and rest your hands on your knees. Now control your breathing through your nose and pull the abdominal muscle in tight to push the rest of the air out of the lungs. Expand your ribcage without inhaling, which pulls in the lower abs. Hold for 10 to 15 minutes before you exhale and return to breathing normally. Repeat this three times.
Other Retroverted Uterus Treatment
1. Pessary Device
Pessaries are devices that are made of silicone or plastic that have been used by women who suffer from uterine or bladder prolapse.
These small devices are inserted in the vagina, they push the anterior wall of the uterus and cause a displacement of the uterus to the right position.
These are mostly not used these days if they are used; they are only given as a temporary aid as long term exposure to this device could cause a lot of infections.
2. Abdominal Massage Therapy
A well-known practitioner of this therapy, Dr. Rosita Arvigo(3), states that this old Mayan technique of the abdominal massage can correct the misalignment of the pelvic organs and additionally it is also a non-invasive external technique that can reposition a lot of internal organs that have been misaligned thereby restricting blood flow, lymph, nervous supply. This external massage gently lifts and guides the uterus into its optimal position. You could ideally find someone who can offer this therapy in your neighborhood.
As mentioned earlier this condition is not as scary, nonetheless, it has the potential to cause harm.
Most women are unaware of a retroverted uterus even if they have one.
Bottom Line
The retroverted uterus could be caused due to multiple pregnancies or even because of fibroids and endometriosis. It is very highly recommended that if you have chronic pain that is not usual during mensuration or intercourse, visit your physician to find out the root cause of the pain. It is better to be aware of your cause in-order to seek appropriate treatment.
FAQs
1. Can Retroverted Uterus Become Anteverted?
There are possibilities that the retroverted uterus or a prolapsed uterus could become anteverted by using a regimen of the exercises listed above and the other devices listed above. However, it is to be noted that if any of these fail to work, then you would need to consult with a doctor.
2. Is It Harder to Get Pregnant with a Retroverted Uterus?
About 11 in 4 women have a leaned uterus, that is shifted backward. Doctors earlier thought that having such a uterus would mean that they were infertile. However, recent research shows that the position of the uterus doesn’t affect the capability of having children
3. Can a Retroverted uterus cause back pain?
Yes, there are quite a few chances that you could develop a backache due to this condition. You would also feel elevated painful sensations whilst having intercourse, locomotion, and etc. Hence, it is recommended that you use the above-mentioned exercises to keep the condition in check.
