There is hope women who suffer from pelvic organ prolapse may be able to avoid surgery in the future after the discovery of a potential new treatment.

Described as a silent epidemic, the condition affects an estimated one in four women, with up to 19 per cent of Australian women requiring surgery for prolapse over their lifetime.

Australian scientists have now come up with a new experimental treatment, which uses stem cells from a woman's womb combined with nano-biomaterials to repair tissues damaged after child birth.

The new approach has been tested on sheep but is yet to be clinically trialled.

Professor Caroline Gargett from the Hudson Institute, who led the research, said it could one day offer a safer alternative to surgery.

"We think the research is hugely significant, because we might to be able to avoid many of these prolapse operations that are required later in life," she said.

"It's a huge shift in thinking in the way of treating this disorder."

Pelvic organ prolapse has often been treated with synthetic vaginal mesh implants, which were banned last year because of risks to patients.

The new technique uses a "platform" that mimics human tissue to house stem cells, which help the vagina repair itself.

"The materials that were previously used did not resemble native tissue … also they were non-degradable," said Shayanti Mukherjee, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute.

"The materials that we are using … integrate with the tissue very nicely because they are microscopically inspired from [the tissue itself]."

Problems can arise '10, 20, 30 years later'

Dr Shayanti Mukherjee and Professor Caroline Gargett at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. ( ABC News: Damian McIver )

Current surgical techniques do not cure pelvic organ prolapse.

"For the majority [of affected women], there is a great improvement [following surgery], however there's a proportion of women where the prolapse comes back," said Anna Rosamilia, the head of Monash Health's pelvic floor unit.

Up to a third of women who have undergone surgery for prolapse require further operations, she added.

Dr Rosamilia said the condition, which is a usually a consequence of injuries during childbirth, can cause significant problems if left untreated.

"It may be a problem at that time or it may be a problem 10, 20, 30 years later," she said.

"Women experience discomfort, vaginal bulge and it would interfere with their bladder, bowel, and it might obviously interfere with their sexual functions.

"In many cases, if it is left untreated and is very severe, it can have consequences not just for their social and personal life, but also for their physical health."

'People keep it hidden'

Like many Australian women, Sarah Monaghan has been affected by pelvic organ prolapse. ( ABC News: Damian McIver )

Sarah Monaghan, a mother affected by the condition, said her personal and family life had been affected.

"I haven't been able to work as much as before and I haven't been able to lift my daughter as much as I would like to," she said.

"It's a condition not talked about — people keep it hidden or [they] try to deal with it themselves or not deal with it at all.

"You definitely get judged a little bit. [It would be] absolutely fantastic to have [other] options for treatment."

Clinical trials are not expected for at least another three years.