A Sacrocolpopexy is a surgical procedure to treat pelvic organ prolapse. Pelvic organ prolapse is when one or more of your pelvic organs slips down into your vagina. It happens when the muscles and tissues that normally support your pelvic organs become weak or damaged. During a sacrocolpopexy, your surgeon lifts the affected organs back into place and secures them with surgical mesh. Restoring your pelvic organs to their normal position helps relieve side effects of prolapse like bulging, pelvic pressure or urinary incontinence (leaking pee).

Most surgeons perform sacrocolpopexy laparoscopically using small incisions and a camera. Some surgeons perform laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy with the help of a robot.

• Feeling of heaviness or pressure in the pelvic area or lower back.
• Seeing a bulge or lump coming from your vagina.
• Difficulty with urination, incontinence, or frequent urinary tract infections.
• Difficulty with bowel movements, constipation, or rectal discomfort.
• Pain or discomfort during intercourse.

The most common causes of pelvic organ prolapse are the following:

• Vaginal childbirth.
• Surgery on your pelvic organs.
• Getting older.
• Extreme physical activity or lifting of heavy objects.
• Increased abdominal pressure (from straining to have bowel movements or having a chronic cough).
• Genetics (you’re born with naturally weaker pelvic muscles).

• Minimally Invasive: Small incisions lead to less pain and quicker recovery compared to traditional open surgery.
• Effective Correction: Provides strong support to vaginal walls, effectively alleviating prolapse symptoms.
• Shorter Hospital Stay: Often results in a shorter hospital stay and quicker return to daily activities.
• Reduced Risk of Complications: Lower risk of wound infections and complications compared to open surgery.

As with all surgical procedures, there are risks to sacrocolpopexy. Discuss the procedure with your provider so you understand the risks. Some of the risks include:

• Infection: Risk of infection at incision sites or within the pelvic area.
• Excessive bleeding due to damaging a vein or artery.
• Damage to your intestines, bladder, rectum or other organs
• Blood clots.
• Difficulty pooping or peeing regularly.
• Continued pain or not finding relief from your prolapse symptoms.
• Pain during sex or pain in your pelvis.
• Need for additional surgery or an unsuccessful surgery.
• Issues with the mesh your surgeon uses such as erosion (the mesh wears through your vaginal tissue).

Sacrocolpopexy is safe, but all surgeries have risks. There have been complications with using mesh to repair pelvic organ prolapse when surgeons perform the repair vaginally. For this reason, surgeons now only use mesh for pelvic organ prolapse through a person’s abdomen. If you’ve had surgery to repair prolapse using mesh through your vagina, contact your provider if you notice any unusual symptoms or problems.

Recovery from sacrocolpopexy takes about six to eight weeks. Your provider will ask you to refrain from certain activities like heavy lifting or sexual intercourse for a specific amount of time. Be sure to check with your provider about any lifestyle changes you should make while you recover.

Sacrocolpopexy is often an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day. In some cases, your healthcare provider may ask you to stay overnight. Several factors go into this decision, such as the severity of your prolapse, if there were complications during surgery or if you have other medical conditions.