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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIn most cases, your doctor can confirm a diagnosis by physical examination of the vagina and rectum.
During the exam, your doctor may ask you to bear down as if having a bowel movement. This may cause the rectocele to bulge, so your doctor can assess its size and location. To check the strength of your pelvic muscles, you may also be instructed to contract them, as if you are stopping the stream of urine.
If anything found during the physical exam seems unrelated to your symptoms, your doctor may want you to undergo an imaging test, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or an X-ray exam, to determine the size of the rectocele and how efficiently your rectum empties (defecography). Otherwise, imaging tests are rarely needed to diagnose a rectocele.
