ABSTRACT
Pessaries, or devices placed in the vagina to support the uterus or vaginal walls, have been used for thousands of years to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Hippocrates documented the use of pomegranates soaked in vinegar as vaginal pessaries, and ring pessaries made of wood, cork, silver, and gold were described in the early 1700s [1,2]. In the nineteenth century, the development of pessaries made out of vulcanized rubber allowed safer long-term use [2]. Pessaries remained the treatment of choice for pop through the early 1900s when over 100 types of pessaries were available, but their use declined in the following decades as developments in aseptic techniques and anesthesia made surgical correction more feasible.
