ODS is the inability to evacuate the rectum and complete bowel movements normally, causing stools to feel ‘stuck’ and not completely emptied.
What is ODS?
Common Symptoms
You may be straining, squatting, leaning over, or even pressing with finger around the vagina or rectum to assist with stool emptying (“splinting”)
Stool shape can alter, often becoming narrower or taking on a ribbon-like appearance, which may indicate a constricted pathway in the rectum or anus.
Involuntary leakage or seepage of stool or mucus from the rectum is a symptom of ODS, which can be a result of incomplete evacuation or a dysfunction in the rectal sphincter muscles.
Patients may feel a sense of pressure in the rectum, discomfort, or even sharp pain during and after bowel movements, which could be related to the excessive straining or internal rectal prolapse.
Chronic difficulty in passing stools or less frequent bowel movements are common in ODS. This can be a result of a dysfunction in the coordination of the pelvic muscles and the colon.
women are affected by ODS
1 in 5
women reporting other pelvic floor disorders have ODS
3 in 5
women with constipation have ODS.
1 in 3
You are not alone.
Is there a treatment for ODS?
Yes, ODiSI™ is the first minimally invasive, mesh-free treatment for ODS. While ODS has been historically neglected because the condition was seen as unavoidable and too embarrassing to talk about.
Altyx™ is dedicated to making a solution accessible and amplifying the voices of women affected by ODS.
In other cases, ODS may be caused by a functional condition known as dyssynergia, meaning a reduced ability to relax the pelvic floor muscles during defecation.
In some cases, weakening of rectal supports causing ODS may also be accompanied by other types of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) such as a rectocele, enterocele or prolapse of the uterus or vagina; in other cases, the rectal support defect occurs without uterovaginal prolapse.
Other Causes
New research has shown that more than 90% of women with ODS have rectal prolapse due to a specific weakening of rectal supports: an internal folding or sliding (‘prolapse’) of the rectum that usually cannot be seen on a general examination but can be easily diagnosed with a quick and simple ultrasound evaluation.
