Abstract
Pessaries are used for the management of pelvic organ prolapse, but it is unknown whether a pessary will prevent progression of this condition. The purpose of this study was to describe the course of pelvic organ prolapse among women using a pessary for at least 1 year. Among 56 consecutive women fitted with a pessary, 19 (33.9%) continued its use under our care for at least 1 year. We compared baseline and follow-up examinations, using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantitation examination system. At baseline, 16 (84.2%) had stage 3 or 4 prolapse. After 1 year we observed a significant improvement in the stage of disease (P = 0.045, Wilcoxon signed rank test). Four women (21.1%, 95% confidence interval -0.2, 43.7%) had an improvement in stage. No women had worsening in stage of prolapse. These data suggest that there may be a therapeutic effect associated with the use of a supportive pessary.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 349-352 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | International Urogynecology Journal |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2002 |
Keywords
- Pessary
- Uterine proplapse
- Vaginal prolapse
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Urology