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In the first six to nine weeks after surgery, it is important to avoid heavy lifting, as well as any other activities that may increase the pressure or stress on your abdominal or pelvic areas. Ask your boss for modified duties at the workplace if you have a job that involves heavy physical labor.   Your doctor may advise that you do Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles in your pelvic area following surgery. Be sure to follow your doctor's advice on when to begin strengthening exercises, and how many to do at a time, so that you do not put undue stress on your pelvic area following surgery. Also avoid sexual intercourse for 6 weeks following surgery, to allow time for a full recovery. If you are overweight or obese, this puts additional stress on the muscles and ligaments within your pelvis and vagina. Being overweight can significantly increase your risk of recurrence of the condition following surgery, due to the continual extra pressure in the area. Therefore, to minimize your risk as much as possible, and to ensure that the benefits of surgery last for as long as possible, you may want to consider weight loss.  Strategies to reduce your weight (if you are overweight) include increasing your aerobic (fat-burning) exercise, and improving the health of your diet, among others.   Click here for more information on how to lose weight safely and effectively if this is of interest to you. You will also want to ask your doctor to treat chronic conditions such as a persistent cough or ongoing constipation, which may put additional stress on your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. While the specifics of recovery may vary on a case-by-case basis (depending upon the severity of your prolapse), surgery is generally very successful at treating vaginal prolapse. You can return to normal activity fully by six to nine weeks after surgery, and your surgeon can advise you on a plan for a gradual return to activity during this time period.  Note that sexual problems may persist even after the surgery is complete. The surgery will most likely resolve the anatomic problem (the prolapse), but it will not necessarily resolve associated sexual challenges. If you are struggling to get your sex life back on track, you can ask your doctor for suggestions or for a referral to a physician who specializes in women's sexual health and wellbeing. Challenges that are common include pain with intercourse and decreased libido, among other things.
Avoid heavy lifting and other similar activities while you recover. Consider weight loss to prevent recurrence of your prolapse. Be aware of your expected recovery from vaginal prolapse.