From early womanhood to child-bearing years to menopause and senior living, each change a woman experiences is dramatic and calls for special care. Our highly-trained specialists listen to you and work through your health challenges, guiding you with a safe, integrative approach to women’s wellness at every age. But how does a woman know what kind of specialist she needs to see?

An Obstetrician/Gynecologist specializes in women's health with a focus on the reproductive system. They handle a wide range of issues including pregnancy and childbirth, menstruation and fertility concerns, hormone disorders, and others. It’s a good idea for women to visit an OB/GYN for annual screenings.

While your OB/GYN monitors your reproductive health, they may refer you to a urologist to treat disorders like kidney stones, bladder or kidney cancer, UTIs, frequent urination, blood in your urine, or discomfort when urinating.

A urogynecologist is an OB/GYN or urologist who received two to three additional years of highly-specialized training in conditions that affect the female pelvic floor. The most common conditions they treat include urinary leakage, pelvic organ prolapse, overactive bladder, recurrent urinary tract infections, vaginal atrophy, accidental bowel leakage, urinary retention and maternal complications of child birth. Women who once had to be treated by multiple specialists for urinary, reproductive and gastrointestinal problems can now see one urogynecologist.

Effective answers for a common problem.

Improving your pelvic health may be easier and less invasive than you may expect. Schedule your appointment today to better understand our innovative programs and specialized treatments.

• Lifestyle changes - Certain pelvic floor disorders are primarily affected by our lifestyle choices, including food and drinking habits. For some patients, even small amounts of weight loss can result in a significant improvement in bladder control. For others, drinking an appropriate amount of fluid and reducing intake of bladder- irritating drinks (such as coffee) may improve their condition. Additional therapies, such as bladder retraining and timed voiding, can be very helpful for reducing symptoms.
• Medications - There are many medications available to assist in the management of bladder and bowel control issues. These include oral medications and topical creams for you to use at home.
• Pessary - A pessary is a ring-shaped device that is inserted into the vagina and provides support for the pelvic organs. It can be a very effective treatment for stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse (a weakening of the muscles).  The device is easily removable, and patients can use it for as long as they want. Pessary fittings are performed during a physician office visit.
• Pelvic floor physical therapy - Physical therapists are an integral part of treatment for women with pelvic floor disorders. In addition to showing patients how to improve the strength of their pelvic floor muscles, physical therapists provide a whole-body evaluation to assess the functional relationships between other parts of the body and the pelvic floor.
• Other office procedures - Our outpatient office-based procedures include intravesical botulinum toxin (Botox™) injections for overactive bladders, PTNS (an acupuncture-like treatment for the bladder), and other non-surgical therapies. We can also evaluate patients for surgical procedures (see below).
• Surgical procedures - If non-surgical options are not sufficient, our specialists will provide the best in leading-edge surgical treatments. The latest technologies include minimally invasive procedures that leave no visible scarring, including robotic sacrocolpopexy surgery to treat prolapse issues, sacral nerve modulation (devices to change nerve activity), implementation of urethral slings to stabilize organs, and urethral bulking (building up tissue around the bladder) to reduce urinary incontinence.

You don’t have to live with it.

There are many reasons for pelvic floor disorders, including childbirth, weight gain, hormonal changes during menopause, family history, or simply aging. If you check “yes” to any of the following symptoms, we encourage you to make an appointment today for a formal evaluation. Our expert treatment can make life easier.

Download the Symptom Checker.

1. During the last three months, did you leak urine (check “yes” to all that apply):

• When you were performing some physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, lifting, or exercise? (Yes / No)
• When you had the urge or feeling that you needed to empty your bladder, but you could not get to the toilet fast enough? (Yes / No)
• Without physical activity and without a sense of urgency? (Yes / No)

2. Do you:

• Have a sensation that there is a bulge in your vagina or that something is falling out from your vagina? (Yes / No)
• Have the feeling of a bulge in the vaginal area that makes it difficult to have sexual relations? (Yes / No)
• Wear liners, pads, diapers, or toilet paper, or do you change your undergarments to protect your clothes from loss of urine or stool? (Yes / No)
• Lose stool beyond your control? (Yes / No)
• Worry that you may leak urine, stool or gas during sexual relations? (Yes / No)