Trial reportThe journal of sexual medicine2015
Sexual Function and Pessary Management among Women Using a Pessary for Pelvic Floor Disorders.
Trial report in The journal of sexual medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Do vaginal pessaries used to treat pelvic organ prolapse impact on sexual function? A systematic review and meta-analysis.International urogynecology journal · 2022Pooled it
- Patient-reported outcome measures which assess body image in urogynaecology patients: a systematic review.International urogynecology journal · 2019Pooled it
- Body image and sexual function improve following prolapse repair.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Changes in the Vaginal Microenvironment as Related to Frequency of Pessary Removal.Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgeryTrial
- Factors contributing to long-term vaginal pessary use: A mixed-methods study.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Strategies to improve sexual health in women with urinary incontinence: A scoping review.PloS one · 2026Article
- Application of patient-reported outcome instruments in nonsurgical management of pelvic organ prolapse: a scoping review.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2026Article
- Long-Term Self-Management of Vaginal Cube Pessaries Can Improve Sexual Life in Patients with Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Results from a Secondary Analysis.International urogynecology journal · 2024Article
- Understanding Factors That Affect Willingness to Self-Manage a Pessary for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study of Pessary-Using Women in the UK.International urogynecology journal · 2024Article
- Analysis of questions by patients with pelvic organ prolapse about vaginal pessaries resulting in a checklist for their physicians.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2024Article
- A randomized controlled study comparing the objective efficacy and safety of a novel self-inserted disposable vaginal prolapse device and existing ring pessaries.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- What is known from the existing literature about self-management of pessaries for pelvic organ prolapse? A scoping review.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Pelvic organ prolapse and sexual function.Nature reviews. Urology · 2020Review
- Defecatory dysfunction and other clinical variables are predictors of pessary discontinuation.International urogynecology journal · 2019Article
- Shared research priorities for pessary use in women with prolapse: results from a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership.BMJ open · 2018Article
- Evaluation of sexual dysfunction in female patients presenting with faecal incontinence or defecation disorder.International journal of colorectal disease · 2017Article
- Desire for Continued Pessary Use Among Women of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Ethnic Backgrounds for Pelvic Floor Disorders.Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgeryArticle
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionPessaries are commonly used to treat pelvic floor disorders, but little is known about the sexual function of pessary users.
aimWe aimed to describe sexual function among pessary users and pessary management with regard to sexual activity.
methodsThis is a secondary analysis of a randomized trial of new pessary users, where study patients completed validated questionnaires on sexual function and body image at pessary fitting and 3 months later.
main outcome measuresWomen completed the Pelvic Organ Prolapse-Urinary Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire, International Urogynecological Association Revised (PISQ-IR), a validated measure that evaluates the impact of pelvic floor disorders on sexual function, a modified female body image scale (mBIS), and questions regarding pessary management surrounding sexual activity.
resultsOf 127 women, 54% (68/127) were sexually active at baseline and 42% (64/114) were sexually active at 3 months. Sexual function scores were not different between baseline and 3 months on all domains except for a drop of 0.15 points (P = 0.04) for sexually active women, and a drop of 0.34 points for non-sexually active women (P = 0.02) in the score related to the sexual partner. Total mBIS score did not change (P = 0.07), but scores improved by 0.2 points (P = 0.03) in the question related to self-consciousness. Pessary satisfaction was associated with improved sexual function scores in multiple domains and improved mBIS scores. The majority (45/64, 70%) of sexually active women removed their pessary for sex, with over half stating their partner preferred removal for sex (24/45, 53%).
conclusionMany women remove their pessary during sex for partner considerations, and increased partner concerns are the only change seen in sexual function in the first 3 months of pessary use. Pessary use may improve self-consciousness and pessary satisfaction is associated with improvements in sexual function and body image.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.