If you have been told you have a Prolapse you may have been offered a pessary to help with your symptoms.
Deciding to have a pessary fitted is not an easy decision for some women but it should not be seen as a bad thing or as an admission of failing.
Let’s talk about the route that may have led you here.
Physio
Kegels
Pessary
Most Physio’s will give you some transverse abdominal work and good old pelvic squeezes or Kegels and although these methods can give women improvements this is not always the case.
Kegels certainly aren’t easy and do not work for all women, in fact 35% of women don’t really know how to do a Kegel.
Kegels are a conscious contraction of the pelvic floor; this squeeze only actually works about 30% of the muscle fibres in the pelvic floor.
The pelvic floor acts as a hammock holding and stabilising the pelvis. If you have a prolapse often your pelvic floor is under high stress because of the pressure from the prolapse so Kegels can make things worse. What we actually need is to teach the pelvic floor to let go sometimes as much as this may sound ridiculous!!
So, you may have been to physio, you may have tried Kegels but your symptoms are not improving or maybe they are getting worse, perhaps it is worth trying something else?
Pessaries come in all different shapes and sizes so you may need to try a few before you find the perfect fit for you. They basically act as a support lifting the prolapse and holding it higher to reduce your symptoms. When you have it fitted do not feel embarrassed or upset if it falls out, this is common and it can take a few tries to find the perfect pessary.
If you are uncertain about going down this route and want to look into a more holistic way to improve your prolapse then it is definitely worth looking into Hypopressives, Pilates and breathing techniques to reduce abdominal pressure and improve posture. A Kegel works 30% of your pelvic floor but a diaphragmatic breath up into your ribs uses the body’s natural connection between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor to work 70% of the muscle fibres down there!!!! Yep 70%, so by introducing some breath work, some posture and mobility work you are strengthening your body in a more functional way.
We want the pelvic floor to be strong but also to be supportive when we move so that we can run, jump, sneeze and laugh without leaking or making our prolapse symptoms worse.
