Pessaries after birth and during pregnancy
Pregnancy and childbirth place significant strain on the pelvic floor. The body needs time to recover afterward. Many women experience symptoms after a natural birth such as downward pressure, a foreign body sensation, bladder weakness, or the feeling of no longer being "properly stable" in the lower abdomen. This is where a pessary can help.
What is a pessary?
A pessary is a medical device made of flexible silicone. It is inserted into the vagina and supports the pelvic floor from within. This relieves muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue. The organs are slightly lifted and regain more support. Many women only learn about this option months after childbirth. However, a pessary can be valuable support early after delivery.
Why the pelvic floor needs support after birth
A natural birth is an enormous strain on the body. Muscles and connective tissue are heavily stretched. Even those lucky enough not to suffer major tears almost always experience minor tissue injuries.
Previously, after childbirth, pelvic floor training was often the only recommended form of rehabilitation. However, it is now known that not only the muscles need help, but also the connective tissue and supporting structures.
You can imagine it like a wound on the skin: tissue heals better when it is not constantly stressed. This is exactly where the pessary comes in. It supports the pelvic floor in everyday life and gives the body time to regenerate. The good thing about it: the woman does not have to actively remember to train her pelvic floor. The pessary works all by itself.
Pessaries can prevent symptoms
More and more experts today recommend the preventive use of pessaries after a natural birth. This means that a pessary can be useful even if there are no severe symptoms yet.
The idea behind it is simple: every birth puts a strain on the pelvic floor. Early support can potentially prevent or alleviate later problems.
Studies show that early pessary therapy can improve pelvic floor function. Symptoms such as urinary incontinence or a sensation of prolapse also significantly decreased in studies. It is usually recommended to start pessary therapy approximately six weeks after birth.
Pessary and pelvic floor training: A good combination
Important: A pessary does not replace rehabilitation or physiotherapy! It complements them effectively. While the pessary relieves the pelvic floor in everyday life, targeted training helps to rebuild the muscles long-term. The combination of support and training often leads to the best results.
This can be particularly helpful in the first few weeks after birth. Many women constantly tense their pelvic floor out of insecurity. This continuous tension can further exhaust and strain the muscles. With a pessary, it is often easier to relax the pelvic floor again.
Getting informed early is worthwhile!
Many women have to wait too long to get help. They train for weeks, then follow doctor's appointments, examinations, and often long periods of uncertainty. Yet pessaries could be used early on – often directly after the postnatal period.
Therefore, women should not hesitate to actively address this with midwives, physiotherapists, or doctors. There are many different shapes and sizes of pessaries. Sometimes it takes some patience to find the right model. But if a pessary fits well, it can greatly ease everyday life.
Conclusion:
Not only severe symptoms should be taken seriously. The pelvic floor should be allowed to recover after birth – and support can be useful.
Just as rehabilitation is now routinely recommended, early pessary therapy could also become part of many women's lives in the future. Not as a sign of weakness, but as an aid for healing, stability, and long-term pelvic floor health.
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