Conservative Gynaecology
The Ring Pessary as a Prolapse Treatment
Ring pessaries have been used for around a century as a non surgical means of repositioninging a prolapsing (= "falling down") womb. The oldest that I have seen were made of black rubber around a coil spring, with some internal padding. Over the years they have usually been made of vinyl as a more flexible ring, although hard perspex pessaries were sometimes used. Most modern ones are made of a softer, medical grade silicon.
They come as a large range of shapes, and an even larger range of sizes, and, in all but the most difficult prolapses, a pessary can be found to fit.
Pessaries are used to provide a physical replacement for a deficiency in vaginal wall support in much the same way that a set of dentures can be used to overcome a deficiency in the tooth department. They do not cure the problem like surgery might, just as false teeth are not as good as real or implanted teeth, but they suit the purposes of many people. Those who are too sick or too busy with commitments to have surgery, or those just not interested in an operation may benefit from a pessary. They are also useful for those who only have symptoms at certain times (usually sport) and who can insert and remove it themselves when needed.
Once fitted, pessaries can be managed two ways. For those who are too inflexible, too arthritic or too shy to remove and reinsert them, they can be left in place and checked periodically to look for pressure areas. For the others, the vagina can rest from the pressure points against the pessary if it is removed periodically, and frequent ongoing checks are not necessary.
