Complete Pelvic Organ Prolapse in a Young Woman with Recent-Onset Ascites

Continued on page 10 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is uncommon in young women. Most of the 400,000 procedures performed annually in the United States for POP correction are done in perior postmenopausal women (1). Traditionally, most cases of POP are thought to be secondary to damage to the pelvic floor tissues during childbirth and the resulting changes with aging and time (2). In the younger patient population, however, other contributing factors may play a significant role in the development of POP. One of these factors may be chronic and repetitive increases in intra-abdominal pressure imposed by chronic medical conditions, occupational and/or recreational activities.