Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) is a condition that occurs when the muscles around the pelvic organs (uterus, bladder, and rectum) become weaker due to old age and/or childbirth. This causes the pelvic organs to prolapse through the vagina. POP affects ~40% of women at some point in their lives, and it is predicted to affect ~9.2 million women by 2050. 

One treatment option is pessaries, a non-surgical tool that can be used to treat POP and incontinence. Pessaries are silicone disks that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The pessary is inserted by a medical professional, through the vaginal canal, and can then be used to reposition the pelvic organs inside the human body. Once inserted, the pessary can  remain within the body for 3-6 months. 

Pessary placement can be performed at home. However, the insertion/removal process for pessaries can be painful if done incorrectly, and assistance from medical professionals may require long wait or drive times. This is especially relevant for elderly patients that may not be physically capable of inserting their own pessaries. 

Our solution is a mechanically operated applicator that assists in the placement of vaginal pessaries. This allows patients to insert pessaries from their own home, and it reduces the pain and discomfort of pessary placement. In addition to an applicator, there is an included removal string that patients can use to remove the pessary once it has been inserted. 

Safe and Sanitary

• The applicator should be easy to clean to ensure patients are not at risk for bacterial infection. 

• The applicator should not have any pinch points or components that could potentially damage vaginal tissue. 

• The applicator should adhere to any relevant FDA guidelines.

Ergonomic and Easy to Use

• Patients with weaker hand strength, due to arthritis or old age, should be able to operate the applicator. 

• The applicator should be comfortable to hold and operate. 

Purely Mechanical

• The applicator should not include any electronic components. 

Reusable

• The applicator should be able to be used more than once 

More information on our final design is documented in the Final Design section of the Webpage. 

The pessary applicator is capable of deploying pessaries into the vaginal with minimal friction and force. The plunger allows the patient to use the applicator to reorient the pessary within the vagina. There are three sizes available (outer diameter): 3.6 cm, 4.6 cm, and 4.8 cm, that allow for insertion of different sized pessaries while maintaining optimal comfort.