This is a CPOP pessary – you can read about its design and how it came about here in this earlier blog. It’s a great pessary which continues to surprise me because sometimes it works when you never think it will on quite significant prolapses. As you can see it’s a different shape and that is one of the keys to it’s success. 

But the new observation about it relates to urinary incontinence. A patient had used a silicone ring pessary for years, but as she was getting older her finger dextirity was declining and she was finding putting the stiffer ring in and out weekly was becoming a chore (stiffer because it was a size 3 and the smaller they are the stiffer they are to manipulate). She had also recently found she had increasing urge incontinence on the way to the toilet – just small amounts, but distressing for her.

Due to increasing difficulty manipulating the ring, I decided to try a CPOP pessary with her – because this particular pessary has TGA approval for leaving it in for 28 days, which means that she would only have to change it 12 times a year instead of 52. 

The interesting thing is that when she returned for followup she not only was ecstatic about the ease of getting the softer silicone pessary in and out, but her leakage on the way to the toilet had almost completely disappeared. I have since offered a change to a number of ladies with similar small amounts of leakage and they are reporting the same effect. The different shape of the pessary at the front may be the reason. 

When you are due for a new pessary, it may be worth considering a change if there is small amounts of urinary incontinence.