Have you ever heard of urogynecology? Depending on your health, it could be the sector of obstetrics and gynecology that could make a massive difference in your life. Today, Women’s Health Specialists will explain: What are the benefits of urogynecology services for women?
What is Urogynecology?
Urogynecology is a specialty within the OBGYN field that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic floor disorders in women. These disorders affect the muscles, ligaments, tissues, and nerves of the pelvic organs, which include the bladder, uterus, vagina, and rectum.
The following are conditions and symptoms typically addressed by urogynecologists:
- Urinary Incontinence: This condition involves uncontrolled leakage of urine, which can be triggered by actions such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising.
- Fecal Incontinence: Fecal incontinence is the inability to control bowel movements, causing involuntary leakage of stool.
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Pelvic organ prolapse happens when the pelvic organs descend from their positions and bulge into the vagina, mostly due to weakened pelvic floor muscles and ligaments.
- Overactive Bladder: Overactive bladder is defined as a sudden and frequent urge to urinate and can be accompanied by additional issues like urinary urgency and urinary incontinence.
- Pelvic Pain: Urogynecologists also diagnose and treat pelvic pain conditions, which can be truly debilitating without treatment, including chronic pelvic pain, interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome), and vulvodynia (vulvar pain).
How Urogynecologists Help Women
Since there are so many conditions that fall into this category, urogynecology is an excellent resource for our patients. Here are some of the reasons for this:
- Comprehensive Evaluation: Our urogynecologists are trained to conduct evaluations to diagnose these disorders and conditions accurately. This may include reviewing medical history physical examinations, and conducting diagnostic tests to determine underlying causes of symptoms.
- Personalized Treatment Plans: These doctors develop individualized treatment plans for each patient’s specific needs, preferences, and medical history. Examples of treatment options may include lifestyle changes, pelvic floor exercises, certain medications, minimally invasive procedures, or surgery, depending on the condition in question and how advanced it is.
- Improved Quality of Life: By addressing pelvic floor disorders and urinary incontinence, these services can drastically improve a woman’s quality of life. Effective management of symptoms can alleviate discomfort, embarrassment, and limitations on her daily activities, allowing them to regain confidence and resume normal activities that might otherwise make life difficult.
- Multidisciplinary Approach: Urogynecologists typically collaborate with other healthcare professionals and provide referrals as needed to ensure effective treatment. These include physical therapists, colorectal specialists, and urologists, who can provide comprehensive care for the most complex pelvic floor disorders. This multidisciplinary approach ensures that patients receive holistic care to address every aspect of their condition.
- Prevention and Education: Urogynecologists offer preventive care and education to help women understand risk factors for pelvic floor disorders and urinary incontinence, as well as strategies to promote pelvic health. This may include guidance on pelvic floor exercises, bladder training, dietary modifications, and lifestyle changes to minimize symptoms and prevent recurrence.
- Minimally Invasive Procedures: Thankfully, many common urogynecological procedures are minimally invasive and utilize advanced surgical techniques such as laparoscopy or robotic-assisted surgery. These approaches result in smaller scars, reduced pain, shorter hospital stays, and quicker recovery times compared to traditional surgery.
- Long-Term Management: Urogynecology services will provide patients with ongoing monitoring and management of pelvic floor disorders to ensure successful outcomes and long-term symptom relief. We will schedule regular follow-up appointments to allow our urogynecologists to assess the effectiveness of treatment, address any concerns or complications, and make any adjustments as needed to better help the patient.
FAQs
Let’s address a few final, common questions we encounter about this specialized field:
Q: Do these conditions affect a specific age bracket?
Women of any age can be affected by pelvic floor conditions and related symptoms. Events like childbirth can make them more prevalent in younger women, and weakening tissue as women age can contribute as well. However, anyone with the symptoms we discussed in this article should seek care.
Q: How common are pelvic floor disorders?
They are relatively common in women. It’s estimated that up to one-third of women will experience some manner of pelvic floor dysfunction in their lifetime. One issue is that due to factors like embarrassment or lack of awareness, many women forego treatment. However, sharing the knowledge that they are perfectly normal and treatable is extremely important to providers like ourselves.
Q: Can they be prevented?
There are some steps that can help reduce the risk of these conditions—though everyone’s body is different. But basic habits like exercise, healthy bowel and bladder movements, and pelvic exercises can all contribute to better pelvic health.
One Step at a Time
So, please know that you are not alone if you are suffering from these symptoms. In fact, there is an entire field dedicated to treating them. We are proud to have exceptional providers in our practice who are committed to helping women live better lives. Our Germantown office can be reached at 901-682-9222.