Poise Impressa Review: Should You Buy Remaining Bladder Supports Now That It's Discontinued?

You find a box of bladder supports online and think it might be the answer to leaking when you laugh, sneeze or exercise. Then you notice that the familiar shops don’t seem to have it anymore. Before you pay a remaining-stock price, there is an important update.

Poise says Impressa has been discontinued. Its current US FAQ advises users to discuss available options with an ob-gyn or another medical professional. That changes the purchase from starting an easily replenished routine to deciding whether a particular remaining box has value for you. 1

If you’ve never used Impressa, don’t buy a large supply of one size just because it is available. If it previously suited you, remaining stock still isn’t a long-term supply plan. The useful question is what you need next, as well as what this device can do.

What is Poise Impressa, and how is it different from a pad?

Impressa is a disposable vaginal insert for the temporary management of stress urinary incontinence. It provides mechanical support rather than absorbing leaked urine. The FDA’s K131198 document describes the underlying Improve Bladder Support device and its over-the-counter intended use. A later FDA filing explicitly identifies that device as Poise Impressa. 3 12

That is a different approach from putting an absorbent product in your underwear. A continence pad catches urine after it leaks. IUGA’s patient guidance describes purpose-made pads and explains why a period pad may be a poor substitute: the fluids and intended absorption jobs differ. 9

When comparing prices, keep those jobs separate. An insert that helps prevent a particular type of leak and a pad that contains a leak aren’t interchangeable just because both appear in a bladder-care search.

Does it help leaks when coughing, sneezing or running?

Those activities fit the pattern associated with stress incontinence. NIDDK explains that pressure from movement, coughing, laughing or exercise can produce a stress leak. Urgency incontinence is different: a strong need to urinate is followed by leakage before reaching the toilet. Both patterns can occur together, which is called mixed incontinence. 4

The product’s intended use matters here. An insert for stress leaks isn’t a general solution for every episode of wet underwear. If you can’t tell which pattern applies, a description of when you leak is more useful to a clinician than a guess based on the product aisle.

For example, “I leak on landing when I jump” and “I can’t reach the bathroom once the urge starts” describe different concerns. Tell your clinician if both happen. Don’t let a cough-triggered leak erase the urgency symptoms you also have.

Is it a tampon for bladder leaks?

It looks familiar because it has an applicator and goes into the vagina. Its job is different. It doesn’t collect menstrual blood or serve as an absorbent tampon, and it doesn’t go into the urethra.

The instructions prohibit use during periods, with a tampon, during intercourse or with another support inserted. 2

Don’t improvise a substitute by using an ordinary tampon for urine leaks. If you want an internal support, choose an option intended for that purpose with guidance appropriate to you. Looking similar is not enough to establish equivalent support, fit or instructions.

How do sizes 1, 2 and 3 work?

Poise’s FAQ says to start with the Sizing Kit, which contains two supports in each of three sizes. Begin with size 1; if it is comfortable but leaks continue, try the next size. Sizes represent internal fit and support, not jeans size or the amount of urine lost. Sizes 2 and 3 have the same stated base width, but size 3 provides more support. 1

That makes a discounted single-size box a less straightforward purchase for a new user. A seller having size 3 doesn’t tell you that size 3 is appropriate. More support is not automatically the better choice.

If you’ve used a particular size successfully before, that history is useful. Still, tell your clinician about changes such as new discomfort or different leakage. A size that once worked doesn’t settle every future symptom.

Does the research show that Impressa works?

There is clinical research, but the size of the evidence matters. In a randomized trial published in 2022, researchers enrolled 50 women to compare a continence pessary with Impressa. Only 22 completed four-week follow-up. Reported success was 9 of 12 Impressa follow-up participants versus 8 of 10 pessary participants. The trial stopped early because enrollment was slow. 6

Those results suggest that some fitted users benefited. They don’t establish that 75% of everyone who buys a box will succeed. The people who completed follow-up are a much smaller group than everyone initially enrolled.

The study reported no serious adverse events, but a small trial with substantial loss to follow-up cannot provide a universal safety guarantee or a confident verdict that one option is better. It also doesn’t tell you that the remaining size available online will fit your body. 6

This is a reason to keep expectations specific: possible temporary control of stress leaks, with fit and tolerability still to establish. It isn’t proof that shopping replaces an assessment.

What does FDA clearance tell you?

The FDA cleared the underlying device for temporary management of stress incontinence through the 510(k) substantial-equivalence process. The file includes bench testing, labeling-comprehension work and clinical information. It also describes testing intended to establish performance over the device’s stated shelf life. 3

Clearance is relevant background. It doesn’t mean every user will have the same result, that any remaining box is appropriate regardless of condition or date, or that the device permanently corrects your leakage.

Check what you’re being sold: the exact product, size, package condition and any dates printed on the pack. Ask for clear package information before paying for remaining stock. A blurry listing photo is not a substitute for knowing what will arrive.

Who should avoid Impressa?

Don’t use it if you’re under 21; pregnant, may become pregnant or gave birth within three months; had vaginal surgery within three months; had unusual vaginal bleeding within six months; have urinary burning, vaginal infection symptoms or diagnosed severe vaginal dryness. Ask a doctor first about painful insertion or intercourse, or difficulty retaining tampon-like devices. 2

Those details matter more than a general statement that a device is sold over the counter. A remaining-stock purchase doesn’t create an exception for postpartum recovery, unexplained bleeding or painful insertion.

If dryness or insertion pain is part of your situation, discuss it before choosing an internal product. Don’t turn discomfort into a challenge to overcome because you’ve already paid for the box.

How long can you wear it? Can you reuse it?

Total wear is limited to 12 hours per 24-hour period. Each support is single-use; don’t reuse it after removal or use one from damaged packaging. 2

That limit matters to the budget, too. A box count is a count of disposable devices. You don’t get to convert it into an unlimited supply by washing the contents or borrowing a reusable device’s instructions.

If your routine involves several separate activities, think about removals as well as hours worn. A pack that looks economical at checkout may not fit the way you want to use it.

Can you pee while wearing it?

Poise says you can urinate normally with the support in place; its intended role is support, rather than blocking normal urination. 1

That should not become a reason to ignore difficulty passing urine. NIDDK advises seeking care right away if you can’t pass urine or empty your bladder. It also recommends assessment for blood in urine and bladder-infection symptoms, including painful urination. Those symptoms deserve attention whether or not you’re using a support. 11

If a product seems to change your ability to urinate, don’t keep wearing it because a general FAQ says normal bathroom use is possible. Describe the change to a medical professional.

What if the removal string breaks?

A published review of adverse-event reports from 2015–2020 identified 257 reports, with string-related problems prominent among them. The researchers could not determine how many devices had been used overall. These are reports of problems, not a sample of everyone who used Impressa and not a failure rate for your purchase. 7

The FDA likewise cautions that device reports can be incomplete or biased and cannot by themselves establish event rates or whether a device caused a particular outcome. Don’t translate a percentage within a collection of reports into your personal probability of harm. 8

The practical point is having a plan if removal fails. Seek medical help if you cannot remove the device; don’t keep pulling forcefully or use household tools. A clinician can assess and manage a retained vaginal device. Remaining-stock availability isn’t a reason to improvise its removal.

What symptoms need prompt attention?

The instructions include a toxic shock syndrome warning: remove the support and contact a doctor immediately for 102°F fever with another listed symptom, such as a sunburn-like rash, vomiting, diarrhea or faintness. The leaflet says an association between this product and TSS has not been established. That warning still matters; don’t wait for a routine appointment if it occurs. 2

You don’t need to reach a dramatic threshold before asking about ordinary discomfort, unexpected bleeding or symptoms that aren’t improving. Keep the product instructions, and share what happened and when it started. Avoid assuming that every change is normal adaptation.

What are the alternatives now that Impressa is discontinued?

Start with the type of leakage. NIDDK discusses pelvic floor therapy, clinician-guided bladder training, devices and other treatments depending on the problem. It also notes that pelvic floor exercises don’t require buying special equipment. The right plan is broader than locating another tampon-shaped item. 5

A clinician-fitted continence pessary is one possible option for stress incontinence. ACOG explains that pessaries come in different shapes and sizes and that an ob-gyn can find an appropriate fit. A different device has its own care and wear instructions; don’t copy Impressa’s sizing or disposal rules onto it. 10

For containing leaks, purpose-made pads or absorbent underwear remain a separate practical choice. NIDDK includes protective products among ways to cope with leakage, including when treatment hasn’t eliminated every leak. Using protection doesn’t prevent you from pursuing treatment. 5

You can ask a focused question at an appointment: “I want help with leaks during exercise. Would pelvic floor therapy, a continence pessary or another current support fit my situation?” Add urgency, discomfort and emptying problems if those happen too.

Is remaining stock worth buying?

For a new user, be cautious about committing to single-size remaining stock. You still need suitable symptoms, a comfortable fit, clear package information and a workable next step if it doesn’t help. A discount doesn’t resolve those questions.

For an existing user, consider the box as a temporary supply decision. Compare its actual size, count and condition with what you need, and discuss a replacement plan. Don’t pay a scarcity premium on the assumption that replenishment will return.

No reliable universal current price or cost-per-day follows from the product’s old availability. What matters is the actual offer in front of you and whether it supports a sensible plan for your leaks.

For help making sense of leakage patterns, pelvic floor care and everyday protection choices, Laugh, Sneeze, Jump is the related Girl Playbook guide. The goal is getting back to your activities with a plan you can sustain.