American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 202, Issue 5 , Pages 499.e1-499.e4, May 2010

Impact of pessary use on prolapse symptoms, quality of life, and body image

Presented at the 30th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urogynecologic Society, Hollywood, FL, Sept. 24-26, 2009.

  • Minita Patel, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Urogynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hartford Hospital, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Hartford, CT
    • ,
  • Colleen Mellen, APRN

      Affiliations

    • Division of Urogynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hartford Hospital, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Hartford, CT
    • ,
  • David M. O'Sullivan, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Research Administration, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT
    • ,
  • Christine A. LaSala, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Urogynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hartford Hospital, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Hartford, CT

Received 8 July 2009; received in revised form 21 October 2009; accepted 11 January 2010. published online 22 February 2010.

Objective

We sought to evaluate whether use of a vaginal pessary would change body image, bother symptoms, and quality of life in women with pelvic organ prolapse.

Study Design

Women presenting for pessary insertion completed the short forms of Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20, Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire, and Body Image Scale. After successful pessary insertion and use for at least 3 months, subjects completed the surveys again. Scores were compared with a paired t test.

Results

A total of 75 subjects were enrolled and follow-up responses were available for 54 subjects for analysis. Body Image Scale scores showed a significant decrease (6.1–3.4; P < .001), indicating an improvement in these women's perception of themselves, as did Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 scores (81.34–45.83; P < .001) and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire scores (50.32–17.98; P = .003).

Conclusion

The use of a pessary for 3 months reduces bother symptoms and improves both quality of life and perception of body image in women.

Key words: body image, pelvic organ prolapse, pessary

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 30.00 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

 Cite this article as: Patel M, Mellen C, O'Sullivan DM, et al. Impact of pessary use on prolapse symptoms, quality of life, and body image. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2010;202:499.e1-4.

 Reprints not available from the authors.

 This study was supported by the Hartford Hospital Medical Staff and Research Program.

PII: S0002-9378(10)00030-X

doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2010.01.019

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 202, Issue 5 , Pages 499.e1-499.e4, May 2010

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution