Pessary Fitting for POP & SUI

A vaginal pessary is a medical grade silicone device used for the management of Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) and/or Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). It can be a great option for women who have tried pelvic floor muscle training but have not experienced significant changes or as an alternative to surgery. A pessary can be self-managed by the wearer, meaning that you can insert it, remove it, and clean it at home. A pessary can be worn on a daily basis, or simply as needed for activities that are problematic for your symptoms. It can be used on a long-term basis and can be used by women of all ages. If a pessary is right for you, it will be completely comfortable and will allow you to go about your day or participate in your desired activities without leaking or experiencing symptoms of prolapse. 

During your initial Pessary Fitting appointment, you will undergo a detailed vaginal exam to assess the health and current state of the vaginal tissues, to assess the stage of prolapse if present, and to accurately assess the most appropriate size pessary for you. Once a pessary is inserted, you will be asked to do the task/s that are most provocative for your symptoms to ensure the pessary is effective at stopping your symptoms and ensure that the pessary fits appropriately. You will then be asked to empty your bladder to ensure the pessary is not preventing you from doing this. Once a successful fit is determined, a pessary will be ordered which will usually take around 2 weeks to arrive. You, the patient, will be responsible for the cost of the pessary. You will also be required to have an assessment by your family doctor or primary medical practitioner to ensure you do not have any medical contraindication to using a pessary. Once your pessary has arrived, we will do a follow-up pessary fitting appointment where we will repeat the fitting process and assessment.

Once you have your pessary, you will then be required to come back for a follow-up assessment 2 weeks later, to ensure that the pessary is fitting and functioning well. We will again check the vaginal tissues to ensure there is no abrasions caused by the pessary. If the pessary is functioning and fitting well, you will then be required to follow-up with me, your pelvic floor physiotherapist, or your family doctor for 3 months, 6 months and then 12 months check-ups following the initial date of receiving and using your pessary. These check-ups are to ensure the pessary is continuing to fit and function well and to ensure there is again no abrasions to the vaginal tissues. Beyond this, you will then be required to follow-up every 12 months for a review. Once a pessary is fitted, and if you are continuing to take appropriate care of it, it can last as long as 5-7 years. Sometimes however, our anatomy changes over time which may require a new fitting for a pessary prior to the end of the life of the pessary. 

When fitting a pessary, we do our best to ensure it is the best and most suitable fit for your body and to resolve your symptoms before you purchase your new pessary. Sometimes however, the pessary we initially fit you with, isn’t quite the perfect fit and we need to re-fit and re-order a different size or shape of pessary. This can happen as we are not always able to fully simulate a full day or full duration of your activities in the clinic to completely mimic the kind of stressors your bladder or pelvic organs are under in a 12-24hr time period. 

If you have questions as to whether a pessary might be the right option for you, please book an Initial Pelvic Floor Assessment online, or call the clinic at 778-640-1119 to book, to discuss what options might be right for you.