Pelvic Organ Prolapse · Treatment

Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair Without Mesh in Gangnam, Seoul

Pelvic organ prolapse repair is surgery that restores support to the uterus, vaginal walls, bladder or rectum after the pelvic floor has given way. Somssi Women's Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul repairs prolapse with your own tissue and no mesh: hysteropexy for the uterus, culdoplasty for the cul-de-sac, and posterior colporrhaphy with pelvic floor restoration for a rectocele and weakened perineum. The operation takes about an hour under sedation, and you go home the same day.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD, OB/GYN specialist, Somssi Women's Clinic · Last updated October 2026

At a glance

Key facts

The essentials, based on how Somssi Women's Clinic performs this procedure or answers this question. Your plan is confirmed at consultation.

• Compartments repaired at Somssi: apical (uterus, cul-de-sac) and posterior (rectocele, perineum) using native tissue
• Materials: your own tissue only; no mesh, bands or implants
• Procedure time: about 50 minutes to 1 hour
• Anesthesia: sedation plus long-acting local; local only on request
• Hospital stay: none; same-day discharge after urinating
• Intercourse: after 7 to 8 weeks; vigorous exercise after 6 weeks
• Performed by: Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD, member of the Korean Society of Urogynecology

What is pelvic organ prolapse repair?

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) means one or more pelvic organs have dropped from their normal position because the muscles, fascia and ligaments of the pelvic floor have stretched or torn. The uterus can descend (uterine prolapse), the rectum can bulge into the back wall of the vagina (rectocele), the bladder can bulge into the front wall (cystocele), small bowel can push down behind the cervix (enterocele), and after a hysterectomy the top of the vagina itself can fall (vault prolapse).

Prolapse repair is surgery that returns these organs to their proper place and rebuilds the support beneath them. Somssi Women's Clinic is a surgical gynecology clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, founded in 2000 and led by Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD. Our approach is native-tissue repair: we use your own tissue, keep the uterus wherever possible, and do not implant mesh. Severity is graded with the POP-Q system from stage 0 to stage 4, and we measure your stage before recommending anything.

Who is a good candidate?

• You feel a bulge, pressure or dragging in the vagina that worsens with standing, lifting or by evening.
• You have been told you have uterine prolapse, a rectocele, an enterocele, or a combination.
• You need to press on the vagina or perineum to empty your bowels, or you feel you never empty completely.
• Urinary frequency or a sense of incomplete bladder emptying began with the prolapse.
• Intercourse has become uncomfortable because the cervix sits low or the opening is wide and lax.
• You have tried pelvic floor training or a pessary and want a longer-term solution without a device.

Women who may want more children, who have mild prolapse with few symptoms, or who have active pelvic infection are usually advised to wait or to try conservative care first. Our guide Can Pelvic Organ Prolapse Be Treated Without Surgery? covers those options.

How Somssi repairs pelvic organ prolapse

Prolapse rarely affects one compartment alone, so Dr. Yoon plans the repair compartment by compartment after measuring vaginal length, cervical position, wall thickness and pelvic floor strength. Everything is done through the vagina in a single session.

Apical support: hysteropexy and culdoplasty

If the uterus has descended, it is repositioned and the supporting tissue around the cervix is gathered and tied to hold it, lifting it by roughly 2 to 4 centimeters in the clinic's experience. The cul-de-sac behind the cervix is then closed (culdoplasty), a textbook step that supports the upper vagina and helps prevent an enterocele. Keeping the uterus preserves the natural anchor at the top of the vagina; see Uterine Prolapse Surgery for the full technique.

Posterior wall: rectocele and perineum

For a rectocele, Dr. Yoon performs a posterior colporrhaphy that starts at the posterior fornix in front of the cervix and works outward to the opening. The mucosa of the back wall is peeled to under 1 millimeter with fine ophthalmic scissors rather than cut. The pelvic floor muscles are gathered toward the midline and sutured first, and the mucosa is folded over them in a second layer, thickening the posterior wall by about 2 to 3 centimeters. At the opening a figure-8 suture reinforces the pubococcygeus muscles, and a perineum shortened by childbirth is rebuilt so the distance between vagina and anus is restored. These steps are described on the posterior colporrhaphy and native tissue vaginal surgery pages.

Anterior wall: what we do and do not do

We deliberately leave the anterior (front) vaginal wall alone, because the urethra, bladder neck and the most sensitive tissue lie directly beneath it. In many women a mild cystocele and the bladder symptoms that go with it settle once the uterus is lifted and the posterior wall and perineum are rebuilt, because the whole vaginal tube is better supported. Where a large, dominant cystocele or stress incontinence is the main problem, Dr. Yoon will say so and discuss a dedicated anterior repair or sling, which we coordinate with hospital partners.

Vault prolapse after hysterectomy

If your uterus has already been removed and the vaginal top is falling, we assess whether culdoplasty with posterior repair can give adequate support. Advanced vault prolapse often needs a hospital-based suspension such as sacrocolpopexy, and we will refer you if that is the better operation.

Anesthesia, duration and hospital stay

A combined repair takes about 50 minutes to one hour. You receive sedation so you are asleep, plus a mixture of long-acting local anesthetics; if you prefer, local anesthesia alone can be used, and you can talk with the doctor during the procedure. A non-opioid anti-inflammatory is injected at the end.

There is no admission. You walk shortly after waking, shower, and go home once you have passed urine. Fast for two hours before your appointment and wear loose clothing.

Recovery timeline

You may have between zero and five brief follow-up treatments depending on symptoms. Patients from abroad can manage aftercare at home and reach us by message or video. For a fuller picture read How Long Does Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery Recovery Take?.

Results and what to expect

The goal is a vagina of normal length (about 8 to 9 centimeters), normal width and direction, with a thick, contractile posterior wall and a uterus that stays where it belongs. Most women feel the bulge and heaviness are gone within days, and bowel emptying usually becomes easier as the rectocele is corrected.

The clinic reported a 2026 retrospective series of 150 women with pelvic organ prolapse: 74.7% chose uterus-preserving surgery and 85.3% reported improved quality of life, and the abstract was recognized at the Korean Society for Sexual Medicine meeting in May 2026. These are the clinic's own observations, not an independent trial. Results vary with the stage of prolapse, tissue quality, age and how you protect the repair afterward.

Risks and how we reduce them

• Bleeding, hematoma and infection: minimized by shallow dissection, careful hemostasis and antibiotics; report heavy bleeding, fever or foul discharge promptly.
• Rectal injury or cul-de-sac (peritoneal) injury: the real risks of any posterior repair. Fine instruments and peeling the mucosa to under 1 millimeter, rather than cutting deeply, are our main safeguards; an injury would be repaired at the time.
• Pain with intercourse or over-narrowing: we size the canal to the cervix and avoid removing mucosa, so the vagina is not shortened or made rigid.
• Wound separation or suture granulation: uncommon; usually heals with local care.
• Persistent or new bladder symptoms: occasionally stress leakage appears once a prolapse no longer kinks the urethra; we screen for this before surgery.
• Recurrence: any prolapse repair can fail over time, particularly with chronic constipation, heavy lifting, obesity, smoking or weak connective tissue. See Can Pelvic Organ Prolapse Come Back After Surgery?.
• Anesthesia reactions: rare with sedation; you are monitored throughout.

We are also candid about scope. Stage 3 to 4 prolapse, large cystoceles, advanced vault prolapse and prolapse with significant stress incontinence may need a hospital-based operation, sometimes with hysterectomy or mesh-based suspension. Dr. Yoon will tell you which group you are in and coordinate with hospital partners rather than stretch a clinic procedure beyond what it does well.

Why international patients choose Somssi

Consultations and follow-up are in English. The clinic has been a Ministry of Health and Welfare registered institution for foreign patients since 2011 and a Seoul Medical Tourism cooperation clinic since 2016, and it sits 100 meters from Gangnam Station Exit 1. Same-day discharge means there is no hospital admission to arrange, and dissolvable sutures mean nothing to remove before you fly.

Dr. Yoon has treated pelvic floor problems since 2000, is a member of the Korean Society of Urogynecology, and has presented on prolapse and sexual function at ESSM, WAS and ISSWSH meetings. Visit our international patients page for travel planning, or contact us to send your symptoms and any prior reports for a preliminary opinion.

Questions patients ask

Frequently asked questions

Short, honest answers. For anything personal, a consultation is the right place to ask.

See the full FAQ →

Which types of prolapse can be repaired at the clinic?

Uterine prolapse, enterocele (cul-de-sac weakness), rectocele and a widened, shortened perineum are repaired here with native tissue in one vaginal operation. Large anterior-wall (bladder) prolapse, advanced vault prolapse after hysterectomy and stage 3 to 4 prolapse are assessed honestly, and where a hospital-based procedure is safer we refer or coordinate your care.

Why do you avoid mesh?

Mesh can give strong support but carries risks of exposure, pain and infection that can be difficult to reverse, and in 2019 the US FDA ordered manufacturers to stop selling mesh for transvaginal prolapse repair. Native-tissue repair uses your own fascia and muscle, so there is nothing to erode. The trade-off is that it relies on your tissue quality, which is one reason we measure it carefully first.

Can a rectocele and uterine prolapse be fixed at the same time?

Yes, and they usually are. The hysteropexy and culdoplasty restore the top of the vagina, and the posterior colporrhaphy with perineal reconstruction restores the back wall and opening in the same session. Treating one compartment while ignoring the other is a common reason prolapse seems to come back.

Will I need a catheter?

Not routinely. Because the anterior wall and urethra are not operated on, most women urinate normally within a few hours and go home once they have done so. If you cannot pass urine, we drain the bladder once and reassess before discharge.

How soon can I fly home?

Many overseas patients fly within three to seven days. Walking is encouraged from the first day, and sutures dissolve on their own. We suggest at least one in-person check before departure and will give you written instructions and a direct contact for questions after you are home.

Does prolapse repair improve sex?

Often it helps: a low-lying cervix no longer gets bumped, and a lax opening regains tone. Dr. Yoon's research on colpoperineoplasty and sexual function studied exactly this question. That said, sexual response depends on many factors, and we never promise a specific change in sensation or orgasm.

Keep reading

Related treatments and guides

• What Are the Different Types of Pelvic Organ Prolapse? — cystocele, rectocele, uterine and vault prolapse explained
• What Are the Stages of Pelvic Organ Prolapse? — POP-Q stages 0 to 4 in plain language
• How Long Does Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery Recovery Take? — recovery week by week
• Pelvic Organ Prolapse Treatment in Korea for Foreigners: Complete Guide — travel, costs and timing
• Uterine Prolapse Surgery — the uterus-preserving hysteropexy in detail
• Vaginal Mesh Complication Revision — if a previous mesh repair has caused problems
• International patients — how we support visitors from abroad

Sources and medical review

• Te Linde's Operative Gynecology (textbook) — pelvic organ prolapse, posterior colporrhaphy and culdoplasty.
• International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) / International Continence Society (ICS) — joint terminology for female pelvic floor dysfunction and POP-Q staging.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — practice guidance on pelvic organ prolapse.
• US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — 2019 safety action on surgical mesh for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse.

Next step

A consultation first. A decision only when you are ready.

Tell us what you are experiencing and what you hope to change. Dr. Yoon examines, measures and explains the options, including when no surgery is the right answer. International patients can start with an online consultation before travelling to Seoul.