Let's Talk Wellness Now

Dr. Deb invites long-time friend, Sherrie Palm, the President of APOPS (Association for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support) and award winning author, to speak about POP (pelvic organ prolapse) and the way hormones are impacted by it.

Sherrie Palm opens up about her medical journey, including her personal diagnosis with pelvic organ prolapse, the origin and growth of APOPS  and shares valuable information and resources for women currently battling POP.

It’s a very typical story of a woman with POP (pelvic organ prolapse). I had never heard of this condition prior to my diagnosis. And at the age of 30, I was diagnosed with MS, so I was very, very proactive with my health –  and thought I pretty much knew what I needed to know about female health. Fast forward into my mid 50s, I discovered that, while I was wiping after I had urinated that there was something sticking out down there. So, I got a handheld mirror… and there was this bulge of tissue coming out of my vagina. I didn’t freak out, it wasn’t painful, I just knew it had to be explored. So I contacted you, and said “What do I do!?”

– Sherrie on her diagnosis and the beginning of her journey

After her diagnosis, Sherrie wrote a book to get information in the hand of women unfamiliar with POP, and 15 months later founded APOPS (Association for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support) – which now features patients and practitioners in over 177 countries. Dr. Deb and Sherrie discuss the prevalence of POP, its symptoms, the quality of life of women with POP, and the current mindset of the medical community.

A lot of people don’t understand what pelvic organ prolapse is, and they don’t understand how young you can experience something like that…we don’t talk about this as a society, we talk about PMS and we talk about crappy periods, and we talk about sex, but we don’t talk about organ prolapsing – it’s like a big taboo thing.

– Dr. Deb on POP

For more information on pelvic organ prolapse, please visit pelvicorganprolapsesupport.org.