A pessary for prolapse? - worth exploring!
Did you know that 40% of women have a prolapse! The most bothersome symptom of a prolapse is a vaginal bulge, which often gets worse the longer you are on your feet or the more active you are.
Do you think that the only treatment for a prolapse is surgery? Wrong! International Guidelines say that conservative management i.e. training the pelvic floor muscles and using a pessary, can be as effective as surgery in relieving prolapse symptoms and should be the first treatment option, not surgery.
Why not surgery first? Surgery comes with potential complications and it can also fail, so the bulge comes back again.
Never heard of a pessary? That's not surprising as they aren't widely advertised. You can see what the gynaecology peak body has to say about them.
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iuga.org/resource/resmgr/leaflet/vaginal-pessary-for-pelvic-o.pdf
A pessary is potentially a great option if you want to stay active and not be bothered by a bulging, dragging prolapse. Getting the right one to do the job is the first step, as it can take some patience to find the perfect one for you, as there are different sizes and shapes.
If your prolapse has been diagnosed by a doctor, a pelvic floor physiotherapist with training in pessary fitting is a great place to go for a program to train your pelvic floor muscles, fit a pessary and help get you fit again, despite a prolapse. The pelvic floor physiotherapists at Flex Rehabilitation Clinic are trained to help with prolapse management.