“Beyond the Bump” – Insight Into the Postpartum Women's Experience of Pelvic Organ Prolapse as Expressed on Reddit

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To qualitatively analyze the biopsychological experiences of postpartum women regarding pelvic organ prolapse (POP) as expressed on Reddit, a widely used internet platform for anonymous discussion and information sharing. POP is a prevalent condition in postpartum women, yet personal experiences are often not discussed due to social stigma. METHODS: “Beyondthebump,” a Subreddit forum for postpartum mothers with >57,000 subscribers, was queried for “prolapse” to collect postings on POP in August 2018. Posts were analyzed qualitatively by 2 independent researchers. The principles of grounded theory were applied and preliminary themes were generated. These themes were used to derive emergent concepts. RESULTS: We analyzed 28 unique posts with 390 responses from 2014 to 2018. Qualitative analysis yielded 3 preliminary themes. (1) Women were unaware POP could occur postpartum and frustrated by the lack of prenatal discussion. (2) Women expressed a need for supportive, comprehensive, and immediate care. (3) Attributed symptoms of POP included pain and discomfort, causing difficulty with daily life. Three emergent concepts were derived. (1) POP is a difficult, debilitating condition with mental and physical effects. (2) Women with POP were self-driven and actively sought help. (3) There was motivation to increase POP awareness. CONCLUSION: Postpartum women's perspectives on POP focused on the difficulty of continuing life routines, self-drive for improvement, and motivation to raise awareness for others. Through learning from women's self-reported experiences, physicians can better meet women's needs and improve care for POP.