If you've been told you have a tilted or retroverted uterus, you're not alone. A tilted uterus is discovered during a vaginal exam, and it may cause you to have several questions about what that means or if you will have to change your lifestyle. One of the major questions that arises is over how a tilted uterus affects you later in life. Although it sounds like it may be a big deal, many times it's not. According to Feminist Midwife, "Depending on number of pregnancies/babies, gynecological history, body structure, menses, or physical health, uterine position may change." Oftentimes, the uterus just shifts as you age and alter, and that's completely natural.
Women's Health shared that your uterus is an extremely pliable organ that's hollow, pear-shaped, and able to flex well. And that doesn't change with a tilted uterus. However, you may notice that a tilted uterus has an effect on a few other areas as you progress through life. Although a tilted uterus generally doesn't have a major impact on women as a whole, things like sex, menstruation, bladder control, and underlying conditions may be slightly affected by a tilted uterus. Find out how a tilted uterus may affect you later in life below.
1Sex
In the aforementioned Women's Health article, sexologist Yvonne K. Fulbright said that sex should rarely mean pain, but having a tilted uterus may cause some discomfort in certain sex positions. Fulbright also said that trying different positions or controlling depth of penetration can help you work around that discomfort.
2Menstrual Cycle
Women often experience difficulty with a tilted uterus during their menstrual cycles as well. The American Pregnancy Association shared that one of the other primary symptoms of a tilted uterus (aside from sexual discomfort) is some pain during menstruation and, according to Bustle, intense menstrual cramping is generally the just of that pain. Occasionally, difficulty or discomfort inserting tampons may occur as well. As many women know from experience, some pain medicine, a warm compress, hot beverage, or even a massage may help alleviate some of that cramping pain.
3UTI & Incontinence
If urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common occurrence for you already, and even if they're not, a tilted uterus may start to affect you throughout life, according to the APA article mentioned above. Similarly, Prime Health Channel shared that incontinence can occur with a tilted uterus as well, which means you may start to experience less ability to hold back urine or stools later in life. You won't have to reach for diapers anytime soon, but just like pregnancy, a tilted uterus can make you more likely to pee a little when you sneeze. According to Mayo Clinic, kegel exercises may help you prevent or control incontinence.
4Infertility & Underlying Conditions
Infertility is an area some women also report experiencing in addition to a tilted uterus. Baby Center shared, however, that oftentimes if infertility is an issue, a tilted uterus is potentially caused by an underlying condition, such as endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). As you progress through life, these underlying conditions may cause scar tissue that create difficulty for the egg to go through the fallopian tube. Asking your OB-GYN to check for these conditions and inquiring about potential treatments for them is your best route to a better chance of conception later in life.
According to ObGyn.net, a treatment route women can pursue for tilted uterus is to have the uterus moved to the more common "over-the-bladder" position or have a hysterectomy to completely remove the uterus. Repositioning the uterus is fairly simple and usually successful in solving discomfort. However, because a tilted uterus is extremely common and rarely problematic, even later in life, often these treatment routes are not necessary unless you start experiencing an abnormal amount of pain or symptoms.
