Aim: to provide a practical and evidence-based overview of vaginal pessary use in contemporary pelvic organ prolapse management.
Objectives: Participants will explore the history and evolution of pessary use, including patient self-management. The workshop will cover frequency of pessary review, efficacy across prolapse presentations, duration of use, recognition and management of complications. It will also examine the diagnostic role of pessaries in pre-operative assessment, their prophylactic use post-partum and in early prolapse, and considerations for pessary use during pregnancy. Attendees will gain clinically relevant knowledge and experience fitting pessaries with models to support safe, individualised and patient-centred care.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the history, evolution and contemporary clinical applications of vaginal pessaries, including emerging models of patient self-management.
• Identify best-practice approaches for pessary selection, sizing, follow-up, cleaning, replacement schedules, and management of common complications across different patient populations.
• Evaluate the role of vaginal pessaries in pre-operative assessment, early prolapse, post-partum management, and their use during pregnancy within a patient-centred model of care.