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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment depends on the severity of the rectocele. If your case is mild — with few or no obvious symptoms — you may need no treatment or find that simple self-care measures work well, such as performing exercises called Kegels to strengthen your pelvic area muscles.
If these measures fail to help, your doctor may recommend:
- Pessary. A vaginal pessary is a plastic or rubber ring inserted in the vagina to support the bulging tissues. Several types of pessaries are available, including some you can remove to clean, and others your doctor must remove periodically to clean. Because they have a high "hassle factor," many women choose not to use this method.
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Surgery. If the rectocele protrudes outside your vagina and is especially bothersome, you may opt for surgery. More commonly, your doctor may suggest surgery if the rectocele accompanies another condition, such as a cystocele, an enterocele or uterine prolapse. In these cases, surgical repair for each condition can be completed at the same time.
Surgery usually consists of repairing the weakness in the connective tissue between your rectum and vagina. In most cases, this is done by reinforcing the tissue with stitches. Occasionally, surgery may involve using a mesh patch to support and strengthen the wall between the rectum and vagina.
