Dr Melissa Davidson Specialist Physiotherapist in Pelvic Health

05/08/2025

Pessary Course July 2025, Auckland. Thank you to our wonderful course participants for doing the hard work all weekend, and to Xu, a nurse specialist in women's health, for tutoring during the practical sessions. This course enables multiple health professionals to learn together and share different perspectives - we had five GP's, one GP gypsy in Women's Health, one nurse clinical specialist, one nurse, one nurse practitioner, one extended care paramedic, and nine pelvic health physiotherapists. We all learnt from each other and created wonderful networks around New Zealand. Thank you to Unisports for hosting us again, Emma @ Hallmark Surgical for supplying pictograms and sample pessaries, and to Liam @ Whiteley Allcare NZ for dropping off last minute supplies for the course. With Simon Smith.

21/07/2025

Introduction to Pelvic Health Internal Examinations Course.
Auckland, New Zealand. Well done everyone on completing our Internals Course in Auckland this weekend, you did a great job learning lots of new skills. Thank you Unisports for hosting us again. And a big thank you to Rebecca and Debbie for helping tutor during the practical sessions. If you missed out attending this time, head to our website to register your interest for a possible course later in the year (depending on demand). www.drmelissadavidson.com

07/07/2025

MELBOURNE, Australia - June 2025. PESSARY Introduction COURSE completed by 21 health professionals including physiotherapists, nurses, and GP's of all genders. I completely forgot to take a photo of our course participants this time so you'll just have to look at photos of Australia! Big thanks to Alex Lopes and Jacqui Bate for being my extra tutors for the practical sessions. Thank you Alex for hosting us again at your wonderful clinic. And of course a huge thank you to my husband Simon Smith for being the assistant instructor on the business side of pessary management/chef wrangler/cleaner of pessaries/bringer of the lunch order!

04/07/2025

Seoul, South Korea, June 2025. Instructors Course for our Kiwi Korean instructors and then Women's Pelvic Health Course. As always the hospitality was wonderful! Thank you to my Kiwi Korean Instructors - SungMi, NaHyeon, EuiJu, MinJi, and MooJin) and our wonderful interpreter Mila. Hosted at MooJin's private practice in Seoul.

19/06/2025

Japan May 2025 - Tokyo for World Physiotherapy Congress and then onto Kyoto for a little bit of sightseeing.

17/06/2025

AUCKLAND 26/27 July 2025. Don't miss out on this course, Melbourne is full for this weekend, Auckland is next month!

• Clinically relevant – you leave the course with the ability to objectively measure POP, assess the vaginal mucosa using speculum examinations, and pessary fitting skills (ring, cube and Gellhorn).
• We give you templates and tracking system to enable immediate application of pessary management into your clinic to ensure you are meeting the needs of your patients and your business.
• Multiple practical sessions (6+hrs) using peer-to-peer learning to embed the skills learnt on the course. There is an option for use of a silicone model for those who wish to practice without using peer-to-peer learning.

This advanced course is focused on teaching you how to conservatively manage pelvic organ prolapse, including how to assess the patient, select the pessary, and fit the appropriate pessary. The course is evidence informed but also very clinically focused, to give you the ability to step into the role of fitting pessaries with all the information and support you will need. You will have multiple practical sessions during the course to ensure you feel clinically confident by the end of the weekend.

As part of the course, pelvic organ prolapse prevalence, risk factors, and incidence will be reviewed, alongside other conservative management strategies such as lifestyle changes/modifications, pelvic floor training, and bowel and bladder health. Surgical options for pelvic organ prolapse will be discussed. Precautions and contraindications will be discussed as well as clinical indications that suggest pessaries will be a suitable option for the patient.

Speculum use will be taught, with the focus on assessing vaginal mucosa integrity.

Objective measurements of prolapse will be taught using POP-Q staging, SPOP-Q staging, and Baden-Walker grading. Outcome measures for assessing symptoms and quality of life will also be discussed to ensure your patients' symptoms are improving with pessary use.

You will learn practical skills on how to select the pessary based on your assessment of the patients' vaginal dimensions and levator ani muscles. Fitting of the three most common pessaries used (ring, cube, and Gellhorn) will be taught and completed as part of your course practical’s. We use multiple fitting kits on the course to ensure you can trial different sizes and shapes on the course in a safe environment. Your lying and standing assessments will be checked and we will review your POP assessment skills. You will be taking home three sample pessaries of different types to use for patient education in your clinic.

Business and recall systems, and how to manage these within your patient management system will be discussed. Common suppliers of equipment and consumables, infection control measures, and fitting kit cleaning protocols will be provided. Patient reports, patient medical screening request form, and patient education handouts (consent, self-management, and information on pessaries) will be reviewed and samples for you to use in your clinic will be provided. Learning when and how to refer on for medical reviews when signs of complications or abnormalities will be discussed. You will also be given access to "The Beast", an Excel spreadsheet created by Simon – used for tracking all inventory related to pessary management, including supplies, fitting kit tracking, pessary tracking, and recall tracking.

As part of the post-course requirements, we will be asking you to complete a logbook of the speculum exams completed, and pessary fittings completed, a case study, a reflective statement, and a peer review. These activities will need to be completed over several months after the two-day teaching weekend. We will also be asking to see a summary of your recall system, and health and safety procedures around pessary management in your clinic. These requirements are to ensure you reach acceptable skill and safety levels in all areas of pessary management.

Once you have completed your competency documentation successfully your certificate of completion of the course will be issued.

What people are saying about this course:
"The pessary course not only gives you everything you need to be safely and competently fitting and managing pessaries, but also thorough evidence based up to date knowledge on POP." Sara, Physiotherapist
"I have been on a number of Melissa's courses now and they just keep getting better! This "Pessaries" course was absolutely amazing. I walked away feeling so satisfied, motivated and eager to continue my work in this field." Rebecca, Physiotherapist
"Highly informative and practical course - within a relaxed environment which enhances the overall learning experience. As a GP with an interest in women's health I found the skills learned essential." Christina, GP
"Fantastic evidence based course with robust protocols and excellent clinical application." Glenn, Osteopath
"Melissa and Simon always deliver on these courses. So organised, so well thought out, so thorough and informative. The theoretical and practical aspects of the course are so well balanced that it enables a true learning experience and allows one to fully grasp the content and retain all learning by putting it all into a "real experience". Having Fran's Pelvic health and Pessary and Alice's Gynaecological knowledge and experience really sets this course above and beyond. Not to mention the IT, cleaning and food extaordinaire, Simon! and how can we forget THE FOOD...always deliciously spectacular. I got so so so much out of this course and would absolutely recommend it to all who would love to learn more and become competent in the world of Pessaries." Tessa, Physiotherapist
"Fantastic course with plenty of practical sessions and take home information to use immediately within your practice" Eileen, Physiotherapist, Australia
"As a PHPT confident in treating POP conservatively, I found this course wonderful in learning how to safely fit and monitor pessaries both practically and administratively." Kat, Physiotherapist
"Very good course. Evidence -based approach, and here in NZ. Learned to assess and fit 3 different pessaries which is great to have some options to offer." Natalie, Physiotherapist

Full details of the course and how to register are at https://www.drmelissadavidson.com/

11/06/2025

SOLO Pessaries have been approved for Australia!! Hallmark Surgical will be bringing them into Australia, if you are keen to get your hands on them, contact Emma Patterson - emma@hallmarksurgical.com These are the pessaries we use as fitting kits on our Pessary Courses. Our Melbourne course is next weekend if you want to join us :)

Two days In-Person in Melbourne 21/22 June and Auckland on Sat/Sun 26/27 July 2025.

• Clinically relevant – you leave the course with the ability to objectively measure POP, assess the vaginal mucosa using speculum examinations, and pessary fitting skills (ring, cube and Gellhorn).
• We give you templates and tracking system to enable immediate application of pessary management into your clinic to ensure you are meeting the needs of your patients and your business.
• Multiple practical sessions (6+hrs) using peer-to-peer learning to embed the skills learnt on the course. There is an option for use of a silicone model for those who wish to practice without using peer-to-peer learning.

This advanced course is focused on teaching you how to conservatively manage pelvic organ prolapse, including how to assess the patient, select the pessary, and fit the appropriate pessary. The course is evidence informed but also very clinically focused, to give you the ability to step into the role of fitting pessaries with all the information and support you will need. You will have multiple practical sessions during the course to ensure you feel clinically confident by the end of the weekend.

As part of the course, pelvic organ prolapse prevalence, risk factors, and incidence will be reviewed, alongside other conservative management strategies such as lifestyle changes/modifications, pelvic floor training, and bowel and bladder health. Surgical options for pelvic organ prolapse will be discussed. Precautions and contraindications will be discussed as well as clinical indications that suggest pessaries will be a suitable option for the patient.

Speculum use will be taught, with the focus on assessing vaginal mucosa integrity.

Objective measurements of prolapse will be taught using POP-Q staging, SPOP-Q staging, and Baden-Walker grading. Outcome measures for assessing symptoms and quality of life will also be discussed to ensure your patients' symptoms are improving with pessary use.

You will learn practical skills on how to select the pessary based on your assessment of the patients' vaginal dimensions and levator ani muscles. Fitting of the three most common pessaries used (ring, cube, and Gellhorn) will be taught and completed as part of your course practical’s. We use multiple fitting kits on the course to ensure you can trial different sizes and shapes on the course in a safe environment. Your lying and standing assessments will be checked and we will review your POP assessment skills. You will be taking home three sample pessaries of different types to use for patient education in your clinic.

Business and recall systems, and how to manage these within your patient management system will be discussed. Common suppliers of equipment and consumables, infection control measures, and fitting kit cleaning protocols will be provided. Patient reports, patient medical screening request form, and patient education handouts (consent, self-management, and information on pessaries) will be reviewed and samples for you to use in your clinic will be provided. Learning when and how to refer on for medical reviews when signs of complications or abnormalities will be discussed. You will also be given access to "The Beast", an Excel spreadsheet created by Simon – used for tracking all inventory related to pessary management, including supplies, fitting kit tracking, pessary tracking, and recall tracking.

As part of the post-course requirements, we will be asking you to complete a logbook of the speculum exams completed, and pessary fittings completed, a case study, a reflective statement, and a peer review. These activities will need to be completed over several months after the two-day teaching weekend. We will also be asking to see a summary of your recall system, and health and safety procedures around pessary management in your clinic. These requirements are to ensure you reach acceptable skill and safety levels in all areas of pessary management.

Once you have completed your competency documentation successfully your certificate of completion of the course will be issued.

What people are saying about this course:
"The pessary course not only gives you everything you need to be safely and competently fitting and managing pessaries, but also thorough evidence based up to date knowledge on POP." Sara, Physiotherapist
"I have been on a number of Melissa's courses now and they just keep getting better! This "Pessaries" course was absolutely amazing. I walked away feeling so satisfied, motivated and eager to continue my work in this field." Rebecca, Physiotherapist
"Highly informative and practical course - within a relaxed environment which enhances the overall learning experience. As a GP with an interest in women's health I found the skills learned essential." Christina, GP
"Fantastic evidence based course with robust protocols and excellent clinical application." Glenn, Osteopath
"Melissa and Simon always deliver on these courses. So organised, so well thought out, so thorough and informative. The theoretical and practical aspects of the course are so well balanced that it enables a true learning experience and allows one to fully grasp the content and retain all learning by putting it all into a "real experience". Having Fran's Pelvic health and Pessary and Alice's Gynaecological knowledge and experience really sets this course above and beyond. Not to mention the IT, cleaning and food extaordinaire, Simon! and how can we forget THE FOOD...always deliciously spectacular. I got so so so much out of this course and would absolutely recommend it to all who would love to learn more and become competent in the world of Pessaries." Tessa, Physiotherapist
"Fantastic course with plenty of practical sessions and take home information to use immediately within your practice" Eileen, Physiotherapist, Australia
"As a PHPT confident in treating POP conservatively, I found this course wonderful in learning how to safely fit and monitor pessaries both practically and administratively." Kat, Physiotherapist
"Very good course. Evidence -based approach, and here in NZ. Learned to assess and fit 3 different pessaries which is great to have some options to offer." Natalie, Physiotherapist
Full details of the course and how to register are at https://www.drmelissadavidson.com/

08/05/2025

COURSES on offer this year are:
• Advanced Practice – Theory Day (on demand)
• Pelvic Pain (on demand)
• Business (on demand)
• Integration - MmSkel into Pelvic Health (on demand)
• Advanced - Practical Day (October Auckland)
• Internal Exams - (in person July Auckland)
• Pessaries – Introduction to fitting (in person July Auckland & June Melbourne, Australia)
• Pessaries – Advanced fitting (in person Oct Auckland & Australia TBC)
MENTORING in Pelvic Health
• Monthly on-line mentoring group - Pelvic Health Connect
BUSINESS Consulting
Full details of all the courses, dates, locations, and how to register are at

Pelvic Health Courses and Professional Support in Women's Health and Men's Health

11/04/2025

We are pleased to announce our Pessary Introduction Course has received RANZGP endorsement for the 2nd year in a row. Read the testimonials below for what course participants think of this course:

The amount of research and planning that went into this pessary course was sensational! I feel well equipped to update the clinics pessary fitting protocols to ensure the highest standard of safety is met. I also feel my POP-Q assessment has been refined and I am a better clinician for taking this course. Thanks so much Melissa. This course was the perfect balance on theory and practical and I'm really glad to have learned from you. - Physiotherapist

Melissa provides and incredibly comprehensive, evidence based and practical pessary course. These things are high on my wish list in training, and she offers amazing support options after. It is accessible and she thinks of budget friendly options of setting up your clinic and improving accessibility with her cleaning protocols, and recall and follow up protocols. Considering risk to yourself as a physio in fitting pessary’s is paramount, and Melissa has thought of it all, and has the expertise to match with her recent work on the NZ clinical practice guidelines. Don’t walk, run to this course if you want to fit pessary’s in your clinic and have the knowledge to clinically reason your way through complex patients and tricky situations with pessary’s getting stuck, or supporting clients with self management. This is one of the best courses I have been to in pelvic health physio. - Physiotherapist

I really found that as a nurse doing this course it was so helpful learning something from a different viewpoint as nurses can be focused on task orientated learning. The way Melissa presents this is so holistic and real. I really gained a lot from this course. I would recommend it for any nurse or Doctor wanting to gain more prolapse / pessary knowledge. – Nurse Specialist

I would highly recommend this course for anyone involved with assessing pelvic organ prolapse and fitting pessaries. The course information is very thorough and presented in a very real and holistic way. Melissa made us all feel at ease and made it fun. - Physiotherapist

I found the pessary course to be an excellent addition to my previous training on pessaries. The speculum examination training was the highlight for me as this was covered to a very high standard and I feel so much more confident about this skill now within my scope of practice. The practical and administrative side of managing pessaries within my practice was also invaluable. Melissa presents in a down to earth way and her excellent sense of humour was so important in keeping everyone feeling comfortable especially throughout the practical sessions. Highly recommend. - Physiotherapist

Comprehensive yet concise and very practical learning. I’m excited to take my knowledge and skills to work on Monday. Highly recommended – Medial Doctor

I found Melissa's course on pessary fitting to be an invaluable course when starting out fitting pessaries. It's thorough and has a focus on safety and documentation (including some awesome templates) whilst still being really practical. The learning environment was really relaxed, and this ensured we got the most out of it. Thanks, I'll be back =) - Physiotherapist

Being an osteopath it was such an honour to be included in this course which predominantly is attended by physiotherapists. Melissa was an amazing teacher, she was supportive but also made the days fun with her humour. I highly recommend this course perfect new piece of the puzzle to add to the pelvic floor work I am already doing! - Osteopath

Melissa is a thoroughly engaging speaker and a wonderful teacher. She uses real life examples and humour to make concepts stick. Melissa is so knowledgeable but so down to earth, it was just such an enjoyable experience. I was also so thankful that I was welcomed as a women’s health nurse, and I found the inter professional networking and skill building so valuable. One of the best courses I have ever done and I will be recommending to my colleagues. Thankyou for having me! - Nurse

This is the course to do if you want to up your pessary game! It's hugely practical from speculum exams, sizing and insertion/removal technique to setting up how to launch a service and comply with the most up to date practice and procedural guidelines. It's a long weekend course but I didn't get tired at all, Melissa has a really relaxed, humorous and engaging style and the pace allows you to absorb it all nicely. Regardless of where you are on your pessary journey, you'd learn something! I'd highly recommend this course. - Physiotherapist

A practical course providing competency and confidence in pessary assessment, fitting and management, and also increased knowledge and skills in pelvic organ prolapse management. The course was delivered with lots of practical’s and Melissa's excellence in the field was delivered in an understandable manner, providing me with many clinical pearls. Great also to have access to resources and documents after the course. A big Thank you! - Physiotherapist

This course is very informative and helpful building all information needed with supplying of the data. It was an honour to learn from Melissa, who is highly qualified, and meeting all course mates. – General Practitioner

Melissa was a great presenter. She presented the course in a great practical manner. Came out of the course confident in being able to fit PESSARIES immediately. - Physiotherapist

Thank you to Melissa and Simon for a great course, it was so practical, all the content and skills learned are transferable straight into the clinic. Highly recommend for a relaxed, evidence-based and actually useful professional development weekend. - Physiotherapist

Practical and informative course that was clinically relevant – clear instructions to objectively measure POP, assess the vaginal mucosa using speculum examinations (loved the use of speculum light!). Practical pessary fitting skills with time to practice different pessaries - Physiotherapist

I highly recommend this course- Melissa provides a wonderfully interactive learning environment and there is a perfect mix of slides, discussion and practical time. I left the course feeling very confident that I could set up a pessary clinic from scratch. - Physiotherapist

Such a comprehensive course! I feel confident to be able to safely fit and manage pessaries with my patients. Melissa is absolutely fantastic, knowledgeable and personable. I felt confident and comfortable the whole weekend. - Physiotherapist

Great knowledge and skill set. - Physiotherapist

Very knowledgeable educator with lots of practical information to share. I feel a lot more confident with my pessary skills now. - Physiotherapist

Melissa's pessary course is suitable for both beginners and advanced practitioners of pessary fitting. She covers all aspects of pessary fitting down to the finer details that I have not found in other pessary courses that I have attended. This course is comprehensive, humorous and insightful. Highly recommended. - Physiotherapist

This course has provided me with the practical knowledge and the confidence to implement my skills that same week. Would highly recommend for anyone new, or not new to pessaries, as it is a great refresher and keeps the profession updated on the latest evidence. - Physiotherapist

I would highly recommend Melissa's pessary course and I'm so glad I attended. It provides you with knowledge and skills that you can immediately translate into your clinical work. Melissa and Simon both made for a great welcoming learning environment. If you are wanting to learn about speculum assessment and pessary fittings, this course is definitely for you! - Physiotherapist

Very comprehensive course covering all aspects of pessary fitting in delivered in a very accessible way. Good balance of theory and practical application to come out feeling ready to commence managing clients with pessaries. Melissa very approachable with extensive knowledge and is an excellent educator. - Physiotherapist

The pessary course was incredibly informative, practical and so well organised (thanks Simon!). Melissa is a very knowledgeable and engaging presenter and I felt very comfortable over the weekend and now very confident with pessary fitting. The ongoing support, resources and mentoring after the course are second to none. I highly recommend Melissa's course. - Physiotherapist

I highly recommend this course for any health professional considering use of vaginal pessaries as part of their management of women with pelvic organ prolapse. - Physiotherapist

Melissa's course was practical, evidence based and highly engaging. This has been the most useful pessary course I have completed so far and I now feel I have the skills and confidence to add pessary fitting to my pelvic health tool kit. Thanks Melissa and Simon, I will definitely attend future courses. - Physiotherapist

I completed the Pessaries Course in October 2024 and absolutely loved every aspect of it. Melissa’s teaching style is incredibly engaging and practical, making it easy to apply the knowledge in a real clinical setting. Whether you are looking to enhance your pessary fitting skills, optimise your clinic set-up, or even begin fitting pessaries, this course is perfect. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to deepen their expertise in this area! - Physiotherapist

Melissa delivers a wonderful course. Her humour and teaching style provides a relaxed and friendly atmosphere to create a perfect learning experience. The Pessary course delivers information which is highly relevant clinically for assessment of prolapse, fitting of pessaries, as well as patient management and follow-up. I highly recommend! - Physiotherapist

Melissa’s course was brilliant. So informative and always felt comfortable to ask any question which helped me learn even more. The practical components were so well done and I’m feeling confident in fitting the pessaries we practiced. - Physiotherapist

Melissa's course was fantastic. There was well supervised practical sessions which have provided me with the knowledge and confidence to use pessary management in my own practice. Melissa is not only unbelievably knowledgeable, but is also a fantastic educator with the ability to make you feel comfortable to ask questions and empowered to take what you learn and put it into practice. I can highly recommend this course. - Physiotherapist
Amazing course! Melissa is such a knowledgeable and engaging presenter making the weekend a safe space to learn - Physiotherapist

I absolutely loved Melissa's pessary course. It gave such practical tips and application for pessaries that made me feel empowered to start helping my patients more and ready to perform straight away in clinic! - Physiotherapist

Melissa's course was 'next level up' from previous courses I have taken regarding prolapse management because of the longer supervised practical sessions and the detailed information shared that covered all factors that need to be considered to safely offer a pessary fitting service. The learning environment was also respectful and supportive. Thanks Melissa - Physiotherapist

Great course with amazing information and ability to practice and feel I can leave and use this in clinic which isn’t always the case in all courses. Highly recommend even if to update skills or new great for all! - Physiotherapist

Such a fun, highly informative and practical course that has given me the confidence and skills to start fitting pessaries. The course has a strong emphasis on safety and is conducted in a supportive environment that is suitable for both medical and allied health professionals. Many laughs and interesting discussions were shared across the disciplines! - Physiotherapist

Thankyou so much Melissa for being so encouraging and keeping us motivated and supported throughout the course... you have a fantastic sense of humour too !!!! - Nurse Specialist

Great course. Fostered a wonderful learning environment. - Physiotherapist

I found Melissa's Pessary course and teaching style wonderful! There was a great mix of both theory and practical sessions which was all very helpful! The course has given me confidence in speculum examinations, pessary assessment and fittings and a good clinical understanding on which pessary to choose and why. I would highly recommend this course! - Physiotherapist

Melissa is a natural educator. Funny and smart and inspiring. Like attracts like and the group of girls that she attracted to the Cairns course were all of these things and more. I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent together and believe that I have the skills in place to move forward with my own pessary clinic the moment my pessary fitting kit arrives! - Physiotherapist

www.drmelissadavidson.com for registration details.

23/03/2025

Just back from Hong Kong after teaching our Pelvic Health Proficiency Course there. Thanks HK Physiotherapy Academy 香港物理治療專業學院 for hosting me again and well done to all the course participants.

23/03/2025