Pelvic Organ Prolapse Treatment Near Brillion, WI
If you feel a bulge or pressure in your vagina, you don’t have to travel far for specialized care. For women in Brillion and the Calumet County area, Dr. Ryan Stewart is a board-certified, fellowship-trained urogynecologist in Green Bay, about 30 minutes away, who diagnoses and treats pelvic organ prolapse and other pelvic floor conditions.
Understanding pelvic organ prolapse
Pelvic organ prolapse happens when the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue that hold up your pelvic organs lose support. One or more organs (the bladder, uterus, or rectum) can then drop into the vagina. You might feel a bulge, pressure, or heaviness.
Prolapse is common. On exam, many women have some degree of it after childbirth. But mild prolapse often causes no symptoms at all, and treatment is only needed when symptoms bother you.
Common types include:
- Cystocele: the bladder drops into the front wall of the vagina. This is the most common type.
- Uterine prolapse: the uterus drops down into the vagina.
- Rectocele: the rectum pushes into the back wall of the vagina.
- Vaginal vault prolapse: the top of the vagina drops, usually after a hysterectomy.
These often happen together. The front and top of the vagina are closely linked, so a cystocele frequently comes with some degree of uterine or vault prolapse. That’s one reason a careful exam matters when planning treatment.
Prolapse can feel alarming when you first notice it. It is common, it is not dangerous, and you have good options. My goal is to help you understand what’s happening and walk through the choices with you.
Learn more about pelvic organ prolapse
Why see a urogynecology specialist?
Many providers can talk with you about prolapse. A urogynecologist focuses on it. We complete extra fellowship training in pelvic floor disorders after residency: 3 years after an OB/GYN residency, or 2 years after a urology residency. That training is centered on conditions like prolapse, so you get a deeper level of expertise.
Dr. Stewart’s perspective
I start by listening. Your symptoms, your goals, and your daily life all shape which treatment makes the most sense for you. There isn’t one right answer for everyone.
I don’t believe in a rigid, one-size-fits-all path. Many women do well with a pessary or pelvic floor PT. Others prefer surgery. Some choose to watch and wait. We look at your options together and decide what fits your life. The word “doctor” comes from the Latin docere, meaning to teach, and that’s how I see my job.
You should never feel rushed into surgery, and you should never feel like you’re being talked out of it either.
Convenient access from Brillion
Brillion residents are about 30 minutes from full pelvic care in Green Bay. The office offers everything from office visits to surgery, plus telehealth for consultations and follow-ups when that’s easier. Most Wisconsin insurance plans are accepted, and no referral is necessary.
Treatment options
There is no single first step that everyone has to try. We look at your options together and choose based on your symptoms, the type of prolapse, and what matters to you. Choices include:
- Watchful waiting. If your prolapse doesn’t bother you, it’s reasonable to monitor it. Mild prolapse often stays stable, and it isn’t harmful to leave it alone.
- Pelvic floor physical therapy. This is more than Kegels. Our in-office pelvic floor PTs work on muscle strength, relaxation, coordination, and endurance, plus the hips, core, and breathing that support the pelvic floor. In a large trial, women who did individualized PT had better prolapse symptoms than those who didn’t.
- Pessary. This is a removable silicone device that sits in the vagina and holds up the dropped organs. It’s a legitimate long-term option, not just a trial, and most women who do well in the first year keep using it. Fitting is easy in the office, and you can often learn to take it in and out yourself.
- Surgery. Several approaches exist, and the right one depends on which part of the vagina has dropped and your goals.
If you and I decide surgery is the best fit, the main options are:
- Native tissue vaginal repair. We rebuild support using your own tissue, through the vagina, often with no outside incisions and no mesh. Uterosacral or sacrospinous ligament suspension are the common approaches for the top of the vagina, and they hold up about as well as each other. This is the most common type of prolapse surgery.
- Sacrocolpopexy. This uses mesh to lift and support the top of the vagina, usually done robotically or laparoscopically through small incisions. It gives durable apical support. Mesh placed this way through the abdomen is different from the transvaginal mesh kits the FDA removed from the market in 2019, and it has a much more favorable track record.
- Colpocleisis. This closes off the vagina to provide strong, lasting support. It’s a good choice for women who don’t plan to have vaginal intercourse and want a shorter, lower-risk operation.
If you want to keep your uterus, uterine-preserving repairs are an option worth discussing too. Simple changes can help as well, such as reaching a healthy weight, managing constipation, and treating a chronic cough.
I’ll walk you through each option so we can decide together what’s right for you.
References
- Committee on Practice Bulletins—Gynecology, American Urogynecologic Society. Pelvic Organ Prolapse. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 214. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2019.
- Carberry CL, Tulikangas PK, Ridgeway BM, Collins SA, Adam RA. American Urogynecologic Society Best Practice Statement: Evaluation and Counseling of Patients With Pelvic Organ Prolapse. Urogynecology. 2025. doi:10.1097/SPV.0000000000001641
- Barber MD. Pelvic organ prolapse. BMJ. 2016. doi:10.1136/bmj.i3853
- Hooper GL, Moynihan L, Leegant A, et al. Vaginal Pessary Use and Management for Pelvic Organ Prolapse (AUGS-SUNA Joint Clinical Consensus Statement). Urogynecology. 2023. doi:10.1097/SPV.0000000000001293
- Hagen S, Stark D, Glazener C, et al. Individualised pelvic floor muscle training in women with pelvic organ prolapse (POPPY): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. The Lancet. 2014. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61977-7
- Andy UU, Meyn L, Brown HW, et al. Outcomes at 12, 24, and 36 Months in Women Treated for Pelvic Organ Prolapse With Pessary or Surgery: Results From the Multicenter Pelvic Floor Disorders Registry. Urogynecology. 2025. doi:10.1097/SPV.0000000000001669
- Barber MD, Brubaker L, Burgio KL, et al. Comparison of 2 transvaginal surgical approaches and perioperative behavioral therapy for apical vaginal prolapse (OPTIMAL). JAMA. 2014. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.1719
- Chang OH, Carter Ramirez A, Edwards A, et al. The Role of Uterine Preservation at the Time of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery. Urogynecology. 2025. doi:10.1097/SPV.0000000000001667
Schedule Your Appointment
30 minutes from Brillion, WI
Telehealth consultations available — start your care from home in Brillion.
- No referral necessary
- Now accepting new patients
- Most Wisconsin insurance plans accepted, including Anthem, Dean, Quartz, Network Health, and UnitedHealthcare.
- In-person and virtual appointments available