As women go through perimenopause and menopause, many of us start experiencing pelvic floor issues like prolapse and incontinence. It’s so frustrating when our bodies seem to work against us! But there are options to help, like pessaries. I tried a few different kinds before finding the right fit (literally).
The first pessary I tried was the ring donut one. It looks like a little doughnut and it fits right around your cervix. The doctor just folds it up, pops it in, and it expands to hold all your bits in place. It felt weird at first having that thing in there, I was very aware of it for the first few days! But I got used to the feeling. Unfortunately it didn’t end up working for me – no matter what we tried it kept slipping downward. Apparently I need more support higher up. Darn tricky anatomy!
Next I moved onto the cube pessary, what they call a “space occupier” that sits right under your bladder and pushes up on everything to keep it in the right position. It has hard edges which worried me at first, but the doctor assured me that my vaginal walls would mold around it. Well that cube pessary certainly held things up, but oh my it put so much pressure on my urethra! I felt like I had to pee constantly and it would hurt to boot. No thanks!
Finally the doctor suggested we try a disk pessary that supports more broadly instead of just in one spot. Eureka! The disk felt secure but comfortable, keeping all my organs supported without pinching anything. I couldn’t even really feel it during my day-to-day activities, though it did take a little maneuvering during sex at first (nothing some patient and giggly troubleshooting with my partner couldn’t fix!). I’ve been using the disk pessary for two years now with great success controlling my prolapse issues. Such a relief!
I know it can take some trial-and-error to land on the right pessary for your body and needs. Don’t get discouraged if the first option you try isn’t quite right! Keep working with your doctor to find the shape and size that fits your unique situation. This menopause journey may throw us for a loop sometimes as our bodies change, but there are solutions out there – we just have to put on our detective caps and sleuth them out. Now excuse me while I take my calcium supplement and get ready for bed at 8pm, ha!
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