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pessary
I have recently found out I have POP stage 2. considering surgery but am scared of all the negativity about the mesh. I am seeing a urogyno. Will try the pessary for now as I have a vacation coming up and don't want to be peeing every hr and in pain. has anyone had good/bad luck with the mesh? also Sherri I noticed a few comments about a book you wrote. Where can I find it?
I just read your comment even though I saw that you posted it a while ago. I am also Stage 2 but petrified of surgery of any kind. I went online and found a product V-Brace from a company called Fembrace. It has been a miracle cure for me...and as of now alleviated the immediate thought of surgery. It is similar to a lightweight girdle with straps that help push up the prolapse. I can't believe I found out something that my doctor didn't know about. Good luck to you.
I am using an incostress pessary at the moment even though I dont have incontinence due to 2 reasons. 1 is that I havent yet been able to get measured for a T or double cube pessary and 2 is due to the incostress pessary being pretty good at holding up my urethrocele and holding back my rectocele for now. I have uterine decent ( and anal prolapse and intussusception ) as well so I will be looking to try out the other silicone pessaries when I get measured.
I dont know what type of pessary you are getting. Some ring pessaries are put up high to hold up the uterus and bladder side and are put in and taken out by a nurse. They can be plastic. I prefer to be able to take out the pessary myself and am better off with one that holds back both the back and front wall of the vagina as well as holds up the uterus.
I have been using my pessary every day for a few weeks now and find it helps to hold my POPs in and my urethra up and take it out at bed time. It is a good idea to use an estrogen cream if you can to keep the vaginal tissues lubricated and in good health as well.
The type of pessary you are given will be dependent on the type of prolapse/s you have and what grade they are. If you have a ring pessary fitted it may be a bit trial and error to get the right fit, but this is only what I have heard in the UK and what my UK GP has told me. The UK NHS only provide one type of pessary that holds up the uterus and bladder. Your USA Urogyne may have different types to choose from for you.
Consider kegel exercises as well and ask for a womens physio to show you how to do these, whether you have an operation or not.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
I dont know what type of pessary you are getting. Some ring pessaries are put up high to hold up the uterus and bladder side and are put in and taken out by a nurse. They can be plastic. I prefer to be able to take out the pessary myself and am better off with one that holds back both the back and front wall of the vagina as well as holds up the uterus.
I have been using my pessary every day for a few weeks now and find it helps to hold my POPs in and my urethra up and take it out at bed time. It is a good idea to use an estrogen cream if you can to keep the vaginal tissues lubricated and in good health as well.
The type of pessary you are given will be dependent on the type of prolapse/s you have and what grade they are. If you have a ring pessary fitted it may be a bit trial and error to get the right fit, but this is only what I have heard in the UK and what my UK GP has told me. The UK NHS only provide one type of pessary that holds up the uterus and bladder. Your USA Urogyne may have different types to choose from for you.
Consider kegel exercises as well and ask for a womens physio to show you how to do these, whether you have an operation or not.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
thank you for your response. the urogyn I am seeing is fellowship trained. and I did find Sherri's book and ordered it. Will get the pessary on wed so hope I have good luck with it. How long have you had your pessary? Do you take it out every day or leave it for a while? how many times did it take to get a right fit? So appreciate your help and info
Hello and welcome to the POP forum. Sherrie's book is called 'Pelvic Organ Prolapse, the silent epidemic'. It is widely available. The 2nd edition should be out now. Good info in the book about mesh as well. Get informed about mesh before your appt and gather some questions together so that when you see your Urogyne you can clear up any concerns you have. Most women see up to 4 Urogynes before they make a decision. It is useful to have as much info as possible in order to feel comfortable about what decide on.
I havent had an operation yet and am using a pessary at the moment. Pessaries can be very helpful and there are lots of different types to suit different prolapses.and degrees of prolapses. I know women who are very happy with mesh and some who have complications but the general rule is that to get the best outcome it is important to have a highly experienced and skilled Urogyne to do the operation. The Urogyne on this site recommends to find a fellowship trained Urogyne if in the USA. Ask them how many of your operations they do a week and their success rates. I would ask also for the long term success rate, not just for the first year as well.
It is important you feel comfortable with your decision and although your POP is troubling you which I can personally appreciate you dont have to have your op immediately so you have time to get your info together and think about what you are happy to go ahead with and with which Urogyne.
Good luck with finding the right pessary and with your operation decision. Come back to us if you need any more information.
I havent had an operation yet and am using a pessary at the moment. Pessaries can be very helpful and there are lots of different types to suit different prolapses.and degrees of prolapses. I know women who are very happy with mesh and some who have complications but the general rule is that to get the best outcome it is important to have a highly experienced and skilled Urogyne to do the operation. The Urogyne on this site recommends to find a fellowship trained Urogyne if in the USA. Ask them how many of your operations they do a week and their success rates. I would ask also for the long term success rate, not just for the first year as well.
It is important you feel comfortable with your decision and although your POP is troubling you which I can personally appreciate you dont have to have your op immediately so you have time to get your info together and think about what you are happy to go ahead with and with which Urogyne.
Good luck with finding the right pessary and with your operation decision. Come back to us if you need any more information.
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