Pessaries are rubber devices, similar to contraceptive diaphragms, which are used to either lift the bladder or uterus. One design treats urinary incontinence. They are a non-surgical treatment option for prolapse or urinary incontinence. More than half of the women who are fitted with a pessary will continue to use it successfully on a long-term basis.
Typical pessary users are women who:
- Would like to avoid surgery
- Have mild symptoms and want or need to avoid surgery for the moment
- Have health problems that make the risks of surgery too great
- Need to delay surgery and are uncomfortable from their incontinence or prolapse
- Need vaginal support and incontinence help during exercise
There are numerous shapes and sizes of pessaries to meet the individual support requirements of our different patients. At Visionary, we have a wide selection of pessaries and the experience with proper fitting, which improves the chances of getting a comfortable fitting pessary. If a pessary fits well, you don’t feel it and it works like a charm. Pessaries, managed well, can avoid problems of vaginal discharge, abrasions, or bleeding.
To keep the skin supple and strong, vaginal estrogen cream, or tablets are given to women who use a pessary, especially for those in menopause.
When a pessary fits well, and is cared for, it can be a perfect solution, without mesh, for prolapse or incontinence.
Why doesn’t a pessary always work?
- Prior prolapse surgery
- Weak vaginal entrance
- Excess vaginal discharge