"I just wear it and I become normal": a qualitative study of Tanzanian women's experiences with long-term vaginal pessary use for stress urinary incontinence.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Previous research has shown that vaginal pessaries are a cost-effective treatment for women worldwide suffering from stress urinary incontinence. However, little is known about African women's experiences with vaginal pessary use. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of vaginal pessary use among Tanzanian women who had received long-term pessary treatment for stress urinary incontinence.

Methods

15 semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted over a 2-month period in 2019 with Tanzanian women living in the Kilimanjaro Region who suffered from stress urinary incontinence and who had been using a pessary for at least 18 months. The interview transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

The primary motivat

SUBMITTER: Nissen KH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7818809 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature