Will a Diastasis Recti Repair Affect a Bladder Prolapse by Causing Intra Abdominal Pressure Once the Sutures Are in Place?

Hi Dominic's Mommy. You bring up a great question about what a diastasis repair does. When we tighten the abdominal wall,it diminishes the abdominal circumference much like a belt brings in the waistline. The benefits are obvious. The contour is improved, bulges such as you describe go away, and in fact, abdominal and back muscle function can improve. So what's the down side? We do increase the intra-abdominal pressure. So, bladder prolapse may worsen, GERD can get worse too. The trick is to not increase the pressure too much. Some patients, particularly those with allot of inta-abdominal fat probably shouldn't have plication at all. Others can benefit from a decrease in diastasis width and no more. See a trusted plastic surgeon for a more detailed discussion of how you could benefit from the procedure.  There is another very important point to be made. You may have a real problem with pelvic floor weakness. Talk to your gynecologist. There may be things that you can do which can help you there too. Best of luck!

It is true that an abdominoplasty will increase your intra-abdominal pressure.  Some consideration has to be given to the amount of visceral fat present.  The greater the degree of visceral fat the greater the rise in intra-abdominal pressure.  You should discuss your desire for an abdominoplasty with your urologist or gynecologist and get input about your questions concerning bladder prolapse.  It is possible that you would need an Anterior / Posterior vaginal repair at the same time.  

The short answer is yes, but you can decrease the pressure by weight loss, decreasing the amount of visceral fat you have in the abdominal cavity. You may also want to see an OB/GYN to discuss repair of the prolapse.