Rectal prolapse in adults and in children

This page is about what the sources say to do after rectal prolapse is the problem. Telling a prolapsed hemorrhoid from the rectum itself is a different page, a prolapsed hemorrhoid and rectal prolapse. ahem has not examined anyone and does not perform surgery.

NIDDK last reviewed its rectal prolapse page in August 2019. Opened October 28, 2026, it says that in children, doctors typically treat the underlying cause, such as constipation, straining during bowel movements, or diarrhea, and that surgery may follow if treating the cause does not work. In adults, it says doctors most often treat rectal prolapse with surgery. Even after surgery, prolapse can happen again, and reducing or avoiding constipation can lower that chance.

MedlinePlus, reviewed April 11, 2026 and opened October 28, 2026, says that in children, treating the cause often solves the problem and cures the prolapse. Its example is laxatives if the cause is straining from dry stools, with surgery if the prolapse continues. In adults, it says the only cure is a procedure that repairs the weakened anal sphincter and pelvic muscles and removes or repositions part of the colon and rectum, and that surgery usually cures the prolapse. It also says immediate surgery is rarely needed.

Cleveland Clinic's page, last updated June 7, 2022 and opened October 28, 2026, says a prolapse in a child might go away after the cause is treated, as the child grows. In an adult, it says rectal prolapse will not improve without surgery. Mayo Clinic's treatment page, dated June 21, 2025, says treatment often involves surgery, and that treatment for constipation with stool softeners, suppositories, and other medicines is often needed. The medicines are Mayo Clinic's adult sentence. MedlinePlus still calls the repair the cure for the prolapse in adults.

NIDDK says rectal prolapse is rare in children, and that children with it are typically younger than age 4. Among adults, it says prolapse is more common after age 50 and more common in women. About 80 to 90 percent of adults with rectal prolapse are women, on that page, last reviewed August 2019 and checked October 28, 2026.

MedlinePlus says rectal prolapses occur most often in children under age 6. In adults, it says prolapse usually occurs in people with constipation or with a muscle or nerve problem in the pelvic or genital area. Cleveland Clinic says it most commonly affects females, especially those over age 50, and that it may occur less commonly in young children as a result of chronic diarrhea or cystic fibrosis. The under-4 line is NIDDK's. The under-6 line is MedlinePlus's. This page leaves both ages as written.

MedlinePlus says that in some cases the prolapse can be treated at home, and to follow the provider's instructions. It describes lying on one side in a knee-chest position and using a soft, warm, wet cloth to apply gentle pressure so the mass goes back through the anal opening. Cleveland Clinic describes the same idea: lie on the side with the knees to the chest, and use a wet, warm cloth to gently push the rectum back into place. It says healthcare providers recommend that method, and that prolapse will continue to worsen over time if it is only pushed back.

NIDDK says that without treatment the rectum may come out more often and may need to be pushed back. Its urgent line is separate. A prolapse that cannot be pushed back inside is a medical emergency, because it can cut off the blood supply to the part of the rectum that has dropped through. It says to seek medical help right away for heavy bleeding or for a prolapse that cannot be pushed back.

Mayo Clinic says there are different surgical methods, and that the healthcare professional picks after going over age, other health problems, and how the bowels work. It does not name the operations on the treatment page opened October 28, 2026. MedlinePlus describes the adult procedure as a repair of the sphincter and pelvic muscles, with removal or repositioning of part of the colon and rectum, and it does not add the names below.

Cleveland Clinic says that for generally healthy adults the first choice is usually a rectopexy, attaching the rectum to the sacrum with permanent stitches, sometimes with mesh, through an open abdomen or through small incisions. On the page updated June 7, 2022 and checked October 28, 2026, it says rectopexy has a 97 percent long-term success rate in fixing rectal prolapse. It also says rectopexy has a 1 to 2 percent chance of damaging a nerve connected with male sexual function. Mayo Clinic, NIDDK, and MedlinePlus do not print those two percentages on the pages opened the same day.

If abdominal surgery is a poor fit, Cleveland Clinic describes a perineal approach through the anus. The Altemeier procedure pulls the prolapsed rectum out and removes it, sometimes with the lower colon, then sews the remaining bowel to the anus. The Delorme procedure, for a mucosal prolapse or a small external prolapse, removes the prolapsed lining and folds the muscle wall back on itself. Cleveland Clinic says the perineal operations can be easier to recover from and that prolapse may come back, in part because a rectum made from colon is not as strong. Some surgeons add a levatoroplasty, sewing the pelvic floor muscles closer together.

Cleveland Clinic says that of people with rectal prolapse, 50 to 75 percent report fecal incontinence, on that same June 7, 2022 page. NIDDK lists fecal incontinence as a symptom and as a complication from damage to sphincter muscles and nerves. It does not print the 50 to 75 percent. For prevention of a return, Cleveland Clinic names treatment of chronic constipation or diarrhea and Kegel exercises for the pelvic floor. The other pages opened October 28, 2026, describe treating constipation. They do not describe Kegel exercises.

NIDDK says that without treatment, constipation and bowel-control problems may get worse. Its complication list also includes ulcers in the rectum, which may cause bleeding. MedlinePlus says that when a rectal prolapse is not treated, constipation and loss of bowel control may develop, and that in adults surgery usually cures the prolapse. Cleveland Clinic lists an anastomotic leak if reconnected bowel does not heal, constipation that can worsen after surgery, bleeding, infection, blood clots, injury to nearby organs, and anesthesia complications among surgical risks.

A hemorrhoid operation is a different procedure, for hemorrhoid tissue rather than a rectum that has slipped out. That comparison is on hemorrhoidectomy and hemorrhoid stapling. Office procedures for a hemorrhoid that prolapses are on office treatments for hemorrhoids.