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Pelvic Health · Level 1

Foundations of Urogynecological Considerations and Pessary Management

Two days on prolapse and pessary management, from anatomy and the modified POP-Q to fitting ring, cube, and Gellhorn pessaries yourself in lab.

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About this course

Pessaries are safe, effective conservative care, but you can harm a patient with one if you don’t know what you’re doing. Level 1 teaches you to choose the right level of support for each patient’s anatomy: support or space-occupying, and when a pessary isn’t safe at all.

Day one covers pelvic anatomy, urogynecologic terminology and surgery, prolapse staging, pessary selection, infection prevention, and the modified POP-Q. Day two is built around ring, cube, and Gellhorn pessaries, each taught and then fitted in its own lab.

Then you test the fit the way the patient lives. A CrossFit athlete? Box jumps and double unders. A cross-country runner? Out for a run. Classmates fit each other and try the activities, because a pessary you expect to hold doesn’t always.

Who it’s for

Pelvic rehab providers ready for the next step into pessary fitting, an advanced skill. Midwives and gynecologists are welcome too. PTs, PTAs, OTs, OTAs, gynecologists, and midwives can attend, each practicing within their own scope of practice.

When you leave, you’ll be able to…

  1. Use urogynecologic terminology and recognize the surgical procedures behind your referrals.
  2. Stage pelvic organ prolapse and identify its risk factors and symptoms.
  3. Decide when a pessary is indicated or contraindicated, and choose between support and space-occupying designs.
  4. Perform and document a modified POP-Q assessment.
  5. Select, size, fit, insert, and remove ring, cube, and Gellhorn pessaries.
  6. Teach patients pessary care: cleaning and disinfection, storage, follow-up, and the warning signs to report.
  7. Troubleshoot a fitting that isn’t working, using a clear clinical decision-making process.

Inside the labs

From a recent Pessary Level 1 class

A clinician blows up a balloon while holding a weighted ball, as a gloved lab partner holds a sheet wrapped around her hips.
Testing a pessary fit under load in a Level 1 lab.
Seven clinicians smiling together in a physical therapy gym after a Pessary Management Level 1 class.
A Pessary Management Level 1 class in Montgomery, April 2026.

The schedule

What your 2 days look like

  1. Day 17:30 AM–4:30 PM

    Anatomy, prolapse staging, pessary basics, and the modified POP-Q, then your first fitting labs.

    2 hands-on labs · Lunch and breaks built in

  2. Day 27:30 AM–3:00 PM

    Ring, cube, and Gellhorn pessaries: learn each one, then fit it yourself in lab.

    3 hands-on labs · Lunch and breaks built in

See the hour-by-hour scheduleHide the hour-by-hour schedule

Teal blocks are hands-on labs. Point at any block to see what it is, or click it to jump to it in the list below.

Day 1: 7:30 AM–4:30 PM. Day 2: 7:30 AM–3:00 PM. Full schedule below.

  • Lecture
  • Hands-on lab
  • Registration, breaks & lunch

Day 1

7:30 AM–4:30 PM · 1.75 hrs of lab

  1. Registration and course introduction

  2. Pelvic anatomy review

  3. Urogynecological terminology and surgical procedures

    Taught by guest instructor Dr. Ricky Patel, OB-GYN

  4. Break

  5. Pelvic organ prolapse

    Staging, risk factors, symptoms

  6. Pessary fundamentals

    Indications, contraindications, support vs. space-occupying pessaries, selection considerations

  7. Lunch

  8. Infection prevention and pessary care

    Cleaning and disinfection protocols, storage, follow-up care, warning signs

  9. Modified POP-Q assessment

    Landmarks, measurement techniques, clinical application

  10. Break

  11. Hands-on lab: Modified POP-Q assessment and documentation Lab

  12. Pessary fitting lab Lab

Day 2

7:30 AM–3:00 PM · 3 hrs of lab

  1. Day 1 review and questions

  2. Ring pessaries

    Selection, sizing, fitting, insertion, removal

  3. Ring pessary lab Lab

  4. Cube pessaries

    Selection, sizing, fitting, insertion, removal

  5. Break

  6. Cube pessary lab Lab

  7. Gellhorn pessaries

    Selection, sizing, fitting, insertion, removal

  8. Lunch

  9. Gellhorn pessary lab Lab

  10. Clinical decision-making and troubleshooting

Dates & registration

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The pessary pathway

  1. Level 1Pessary Management: Level 1You’re here
  2. Level 2Pessary Management: Level 2Next step
Dr. Jazma Dobbins holding an anatomical pelvis model

Your instructor

Dr. Jazma Dobbins, PT, DPT, PRPC, CAPP-Pelvic

Board Certified Pelvic and Women’s Health Clinical Specialist

Dr. Dobbins teaches every PRISM course and leads every lab herself. She owns Gadsden Pelvic Rehab and Physical Therapy, a two-clinic practice in Alabama, so every course is built on day-to-day clinical practice.

  • DPTDoctor of Physical Therapy
  • Board certifiedPelvic and Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
  • PRPCPelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification
  • CAPP-PelvicCertificate of Achievement in Pelvic Physical Therapy
More about Dr. Dobbins

Questions

Before you register

How do I register and pay?

Every PRISM course date is listed on Eventbrite, under Prism Advanced Clinical Education. Each date’s Register button opens its Eventbrite page, where you register and pay, and Eventbrite emails your ticket and receipt. This website never asks for payment details.

Who can attend?

PTs, PTAs, OTs, and OTAs can attend every PRISM course. Gynecologists and midwives can also attend the pessary courses. Everyone practices within their own scope of practice, so check what your license allows before you use a new skill with patients.

Are there prerequisites?

Pessary Management: Level 1 requires a Level 1 pelvic course plus a urogynecology course (such as a Level 2B from Herman & Wallace or the APTA Academy of Pelvic Health). Pessary Management: Level 2 requires Level 1, or the Advanced POP/SUI course taught by Taryn Hallam with Women’s Health Training Associates (WHTA) in Australia. Pelvic Health Essentials for the PTA has no prerequisites. Colorectal Rehabilitation requires a Level 1 pelvic course, such as from Herman & Wallace or the APTA Academy of Pelvic Health. Vestibular Rehabilitation Intensive has no prerequisites.

Who do we practice on in labs?

Your classmates. Every lab is done with a partner from the class, and in the Pelvic Health courses that includes internal techniques. Everyone is expected to take part unless there is a medical, anatomical, or trauma-related reason to sit out.

What should I wear?

Whatever you’re comfortable moving in: shorts or sweatpants, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Some people wear a dress for the pelvic labs because there’s less to take off, but you don’t have to.

Do the courses count toward my continuing education requirements?

Each course lists its contact hours, which is the number you report when you renew your license. PRISM courses don’t currently carry approval from a specific state board. For physical therapy, several states don’t require pre-approval, as long as a course meets their standards, such as stated learning objectives and evidence-based content: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. OTs and OTAs, and anyone unsure, should check with their licensing board before registering.

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Pessary Management: Level 1

13 contact hrs · Dates TBA

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