Our Story

Our story, starts with our vision.

Every new mother deserves the optimal postpartum care.

Our mission is to make sure every new mother has access to the best postpartum care, this mission started in the mind of a Certified Nurse Midwife in 2015 and has driven us forward every day since.

 

How it all started

Over her 20-year career, midwife Malene Hegenberger saw various suturing methods with one thing in common: the procedure from diagnosis to suturing was often challenging for the clinician, resulting in an unnecessarily long and painful experience for the patient.

She wondered if there was an instrument that could hold the vagina open throughout. A tool that could:

  • Optimise opportunity for diagnosis
  • Reduce pain for the patient
  • Eliminate the need for an extra pair of hands, freeing staff up to help elsewhere
  • Helps to reduce procedure time

In 2015, curiosity finally drove Malene to develop an instrument that could do all of that.

Four years, 88 prototypes and many rounds of testing later, Malene’s determination paid off, and the Hegenberger Retractor was born.

A truly revolutionary tool for postnatal suturing and teaching suturing:

  • Made from smooth plastic instead of metal for comfort and ease of use
  • Works by insertion into the patient’s vagina and expands the area to give you a clear visual of the tears
  • Stays expanded throughout the procedure to keep the patient comfortable and clinicians in control
  • Transforming the suturing procedure and improving the experiences of millions of women worldwide

The Next Phase

In 2021, Hegenberger became part of MedCo, a specialist supplier of the highest quality, market-leading medical equipment and a trusted and genuine partner to healthcare professionals and patients.

This gives us the support and resources to grow our community of clinicians, improving the suturing experience for even more women across the globe.

Founder and inventor Malene remains a crucial part of the team moving forward, sharing her experiences and expertise with you at every step.

As well as Malene herself, our team includes specialists in a variety of disciplines and experienced midwives who come together to support your learning, practice, and care.

This led, in 2022 to the development of the :-

  1. Hegenberger App – to ensure that you can now access training of the Hegenberger Retractor anywhere in the world on your phone or tablet
  2. The Hegenberger Institute – to support mothers and clinicians with our online training packages

In 2023 we were delighted to introduce a clinical board with trusted experts to help challenge Hegenberger strategy from a clinical point of view. The board brings together a collective of respected obstetric professionals to provide guidance that will help develop, refine & support Helgenberger’s mission of improving maternal health and postnatal suturing outcomes.

Download our brochure

Find out more about our truly revolutionary tool and get in touch with our experienced team today.

Join the conversation

We put patients and their caregivers at the heart of everything we do and we are completely dedicated to tackling taboos and starting conversations that lead to change and improve lives.

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