Incontinence occurs when women have trouble controlling their urine (urinary incontinence) or their bowels (fecal incontinence). There are many possible causes of incontinence. The two most common forms of urinary incontinence are "stress incontinence" and "urge incontinence." Stress incontinence happens when something you do - such as coughing, laughing, sneezing jumping, lifting or exercising - increases the pressure in your abdomen enough that it pushes urine past the urethra. In other words, some external force pushes on the bladder and urine squirts out. Urge incontinence happens when women are not able to wait until they empty their bladder. They find that "When I have to go, I have to go." This occurs because the normal ability to tell the bladder to wait until it is the right time is weakened. With incontinence, when a woman feels the need to empty her bladder, telling the bladder to wait simply doesn't work anymore.

Some treatment options are: habit training, prompted voiding, pelvic muscle rehabilitation (Kegel exercises), pessaries, medications and surgery. Learn more.

Prolapse is the bulging or dropping of the uterus (uterine prolapse), rectum (rectocele) or bladder (cystocele) into the vagina. Learn more.

Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the pelvic floor muscles become weak or damaged and can no longer support the pelvic organs. The womb (uterus) is the only organ that actually falls into the vagina. When the bladder and bowel slip out of place, they push up against the walls of the vagina. While prolapse is not considered a life-threatening condition, it may cause a great deal of discomfort and distress.

There are many different factors that may increase your risk of developing pelvic organ prolapse such as:  number of vaginal deliveries, family history of prolapse, menopause, heavy lifting, etc. Learn more.

Treatment options depend on the severity and discomfort of the prolapse. Three main choices exist for the treatment of prolapse:

• Do nothing (if your prolapse is not bothersome)
• Wear a pessary, or
• Have surgery     Learn more

Please bring relevant and important medical records, radiology reports or laboratory reports. We ask that you do not send or fax records to our clinic. Please hand carry all medical records to your first visit.

If you choose to do nothing or wear a pessary, your sex life shouldn't change (except you would have to remove the pessary prior to intercourse). If you choose to have surgery, you are asked to wait to have intercourse for a period of time, after which many patients report an improved sex life.

"Urogynecology" comes from two words - "urology" and "gynecology." Urogynecologists specialize in both the urinary system and the female reproductive system. Urogynecology is a subspecialty of obstetrics and gynecology, and is the study and treatment of female pelvic medicine.

Urodynamic testing is a series of bladder tests that are done in order to observe how your lower urinary tract reacts under certain conditions. It is usually done to see if you have problems with loss of urine (urinary incontinence) or to figure out what type of incontinence you may have. Testing usually consists of filling your bladder with sterile water, then observing the pressure and how your bladder reacts under these conditions. When the test begins, the physician inserts a small soft catheter in your bladder and a tube is hooked up to a bag of sterile water. Your bladder is then filled to around 250 cc (approximately one cup), which most women can hold without needing to urinate. A second catheter, which is connected to a machine or computer, also is inserted. This catheter measures the pressures within your bladder. Once the bladder is filled, you will be asked to cough and strain in order to see how much urine you leak.

We are committed to providing consultation services, comprehensive treatment planning and a broad range of services for patients with urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, fecal incontinence and other conditions associated with the pelvic floor. For further information, you can contact us at the following number; (937) 436-9825.