Vaginal Pessaries for Managing Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is common in older women. Because women affected by this condition often are no longer seeing gynecologists, symptomatic patients initially might present to their primary care clinicians. To address outcomes associated with use of vaginal pessaries in older women, Israeli investigators performed a single-site, prospective cohort study of 140 women (mean age at fitting, 77; range, 65–100) with symptomatic POP who were treated with pessaries fitted by urogynecologists. Twice-weekly application of vaginal estrogen cream was recommended for all women.

At 1 month after pessary fitting and at subsequent follow-up visits, the pessary was removed, the vagina was evaluated for infections or erosions, and the pessary was re…