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Does anyone have any information on using a pessary for a cystocele?

By October 2, 2008 - 1:04pm
 
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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I have a mild prolapse and have started using a closed-ring pessary. I have read to insert it by bending at the two larger holes and once inserted, rotate it 90 degrees so the two small holes are anterior/posterior. However, I am wondering how far to insert it...is it easily felt when removing?

January 7, 2012 - 10:33am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I went to my doctor for a routine pap smear and when he sat down to talk with me, he said he felt I needed to have a total hysterectomy due to prolapse.(I have three children- the first was a difficult forcep delivery.)
When I asked him about a pessary (as my 90 year old mom had told me she had used one for years) he said "women don't like them" and told me I'd better move ahead before the surgery became emergency surgery (ie , if, for example, I was out running and things suddenly "fell out")
I left feeling distressed-- then went to a University Hosp. women's center and treated by a young female ob-gyn and her nurse practitioner. They fitted me with a pessary and I have been using it problem free for over two years-- why would I want to have major surgery and have my uterus removed if this option (the pessary) is a good alternative?? You do have to wonder if the hysterectomy is pushed for as it a lucrative procedure.

June 11, 2011 - 8:01pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

I think you're absolutely right. Gynecologists make a liviing removing uteruses and ovaries. I have a pessary, and it causes problems, but not as much as a hysterectomy would.

January 27, 2013 - 5:07am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

I have a pessiary and I started to stain. The gym said it was a bacterial infection. Still staining after meds. This went on for 2 months. Went to a gynecologist and when she removed th e ordinary the staining was blood. She sent me for a few tests and did a biopsy of my uterus. She said my cervix was raw. Now, without the pessiar y I feel li ke I always have to go. When I lay down i m fine.
Can't live like this.

May 22, 2020 - 5:30pm

I have been using a pessary for the cystocele (bladder prolapse) and it really seems to be working out fine. I do want to have surgery someday, but just don't feel ready for that ordeal. I've been using a pessary for one year, and although it sits pretty low at times, it has never come out. I can hike and be on my feet for long periods of time again, after 2 or 3 years of being a very, uncomfortable couch potato!

January 30, 2011 - 11:06pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I have been diagnosed with a prolapse of the vagina. The surgeon proposes a repair that involves abdominal surgery and use of mesh. He dismisses my concern about complications from the use of mesh. I know that the FDA has issued warnings about the use of it in pelvic prolapse surgery. He never mentioned the use of a pessary as an option, (I am 69 yrs. old and had a hysterectomy 19 yrs. ago. Would a pessary be an option instead of surgery for me?

January 30, 2011 - 7:18pm
(reply to Anonymous)

Cary provided excellent information and resources above, regarding your exact question.

If you are interested in trying a pessary, please review the information and talk with your doctor about your mesh concerns and ask why he does not think you are a candidate for a pessary. You may even want to bring a printed copy of the FDA warning about the mesh, and ask him to comment.

If you feel that he continues to dismiss your concerns, you may mention this fact to him, and visit with another doctor to gain a second opinion who will take the time to listen to your concerns.

January 30, 2011 - 8:59pm

Okay - surgery was in January - it is now March. Surgery was a breeze with no problems. I was in the hospital overnight. The hardest part of the process was doing nothing for 6 weeks! No lifting, no housework, no laundry! But well worth it since it allowed proper healing.

I am feeling great - with no more bladder problems at all!

March 26, 2009 - 1:02pm

Thanks for the information. After talking with my doctor, I've decided to go ahead with surgical repair for the cystocele. I will be having surgery January 14 - they will be using a mesh insert - anterior repair, perigee. I'll post about my experience and the results.

December 4, 2008 - 12:14pm

The American Academy of Family Physicians has a lot of information and diagrams:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000501/2719.html

The AAFP says the pessary is an effective tool in the management of pelvic support defects such as cystocele (which is also called prolapsed bladder). The diagram pictures various types of pessaries (over 20, in fact!):

"FIGURE 1. Various types of pessaries: (A) Ring, (B) Shaatz, (C) Gellhorn, (D) Gellhorn, (E) Ring with support, (F) Gellhorn, (G) Risser, (H) Smith, (I) Tandem cube, (J) Cube, (K) Hodge with knob, (L) Hodge, (M) Gehrung, (N) Incontinence dish with support, (O) Donut, (P) Incontinence ring, (Q) Incontinence dish, (R) Hodge with support, (S) Inflatoball (latex)."

The Mayo Clinic says that a pessary is an alternative to surgery:
"Pessary. A vaginal pessary is a plastic or rubber ring that's inserted in the vagina to support the bladder by pushing it up and back into place. In some cases, your doctor may recommend using a large tampon or vaginal diaphragm instead of a pessary. Most women who use pessaries do so as a temporary alternative to surgery. But some women may use pessaries for years.Pessary. A vaginal pessary is a plastic or rubber ring that's inserted in the vagina to support the bladder by pushing it up and back into place. In some cases, your doctor may recommend using a large tampon or vaginal diaphragm instead of a pessary. Most women who use pessaries do so as a temporary alternative to surgery. But some women may use pessaries for years.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cystocele/DS00665/DSECTION=treatments-a...

What has your doctor said about your cystocele?

October 2, 2008 - 1:58pm
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