Preoperative Analgesia by Infiltration of the Pudendal Nerve Prior to Sacrospinous Ligament Suspension

Pelvic organ prolapse is a common problem. It affects about half of women and causes uncomfortable bulge sensations (similar to sitting on a ball), urine and stool problems, difficulty with sexual activity and embarrassment. Almost one of every five women undergoes surgery to treat prolapse.Typically, vaginal surgery is done while patients are asleep and local anesthetic- freezing medication- is injected where incisions are made to minimize the pain from surgery when waking up. Pudendal blocks are nerve blocks where local anesthetic is used to freeze a nerve that supplies sensation to the vulva and vaginal area. It is traditionally used to help with pain for women giving birth, but hasn't been studied well in women undergoing vaginal surgery for prolapse. The investigators believe that by using a small amount of freezing to provide a pudendal block at the time of surgery, on top of the freezing typically provided, that there will be minimized pain after surgery and improve the recovery process. Based on previous studies using pudendal blocks for different vulvar and vaginal procedures, the investigators believe this to be a safe and potentially beneficial practice. The investigators are planning to conduct a randomized controlled trial of 50 women. 25 will receive pudendal nerve blocks at the time of surgery, and 25 will receive placebo injections.The investigators will monitor their pain scores, satisfaction, use of pain medications and return to activities in order to determine if our intervention has caused a significant improvement in recovery.