Pregnancy Stretch Mark Linked To Pelvic Prolapse

One of the most common problems of pregnant women is having stretch marks. When skin does not bounce back if it's been stretched by rapid growth due to pregnancy, weight gain, or extreme weight loss, it becomes decorated by a form of scarring called stretch marks, or striae. Stretch marks usually start off as reddish or purplish in color and then become glossy skin that appears streaked in silver or white.

Stretch marks occur in the dermis, the elastic middle layer of skin that allows it to retain its shape. Constant stretching breaks the dermis and leaves behind stretch marks on several areas of their bodies including the abdominal area, thighs, hips, breasts, upper arms or lower back.

Healing depends on factors such as age, skin tone, and even diet. Treatment options include:
Surgical methods. Dermabrasion, chemical peels, or laser surgery be used to address unwanted stretch marks.

Lotions and creams. Over-the-counter stretch mark treatments are available but not particularly effective.

It's best to be in the care of a surgeon or dermatologist to determine which treatment approach is best for you.

However, a new study reveals that a woman's stretch marks could mean that she is more likely to develop pelvic prolapse, a weakening of the structures that support the pelvis. Its symptoms are pelvic pressure, pain, seeing or feeling a vaginal bulge, and urinary and/or rectal incontinence.

While even men can develop stretch marks in different parts of their bodies due to extreme weight changes, about half of all women get stretch marks during pregnancy, which often fade after delivery, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Women's Health Information Center.

Not that the new study, published in The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, predicts pelvic prolapse for every woman with stretch marks, but it does show that twice as many women with pelvic prolapse also had stretch marks, compared with those without prolapse.

The study involved 116 women seen at doctors' offices. The research team was headed by Alexa Kimball, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The women were about 60 years old and had had two pregnancies, on average. About 46% had stretch marks and nearly 70% of the women had pelvic prolapse, based on a previous diagnosis or their self-reported symptoms. Those symptoms included pelvic pressure, urinary incontinence, protrusion of pelvic organs through the vagina, or a ‘falling down’ or ‘dropped’ sensation. While the researchers didn't examine the women to check for pelvic prolapse, stretch marks were reported in 54.7% of the women with pelvic prolapse compared with only 25% of those without prolapse.

Several factors were considered in the study, including the women's age, weight, menopausal status, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, pre-term labor, number of pregnancy, and use of oral steroids. These factors didn't change the results and scientists don't know exactly how pelvic prolapse and stretch marks happen. Kimball said that both pelvic prolapse and stretch marks are related to a decrease in collagen levels, a situation that is influenced largely by genetics.
While the researchers concluded that stretch marks may signal a woman's risk of eventually developing pelvic prolapse, they still call for more studies to check that theory.

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Monch Bravante is a freelance writer and advertising practitioner with special interest in public health issue. If you find this article very informative, you can read more articles at articles.drugstoretm.com/”>Articles of Drugstoretm

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