Urogynecology

Nearly one out of every four women suffer from a pelvic floor disorder, including urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and fecal incontinence. Pelvic floor disorders occur when the pelvic muscles and connective tissue, which hold the bladder, uterus, bowel, and rectum in place, are weakened or injured.

Many women needlessly suffer in silence. Summit Health’s urogynecology team at the Pelvic Floor Disorder Center will partner with you to develop an effective treatment plan that can improve your quality of life. Our center has a dedicated urogynecologist and female urologist to ensure that patients receive comprehensive care across disciplines. Urogynecologists are obstetricians/gynecologists or urologists who receive extra training to care for women with pelvic floor dysfunction.

Pelvic floor disorders can impact every aspect of a woman’s life, including her emotional, social, physical, and sexual wellbeing. Patients who suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction should discuss their symptoms with their physician. 

We Treat a Variety of Disorders

• Stress Urinary Incontinence – involuntary leakage of urine associated with effort or exertion, such as sneezing, coughing, or exercising
• Overactive Bladder – a strong and sudden desire to urinate 
• Pelvic Organ Prolapse – the descent or bulging of parts of the vagina, uterus, bladder, rectum, or small bowel 
• Painful Intercourse (Dyspareunia) 
• Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome) – discomfort or pain in the bladder and surrounding pelvic region
• Vulvodynia – chronic pain, burning, or irritation that affects the outer surface of the female genitals  
• Voiding Dysfunction – interrupted or intermittent flow of urine
• Recurrent UTI
• Hematuria - blood in the urine
• Bowel Dysfunction
• Genitourinary and Rectovaginal Fistulas – an abnormal connection between the urinary and genital systems, or rectum and vagina  

Diagnostic Procedures Available in the Office

Our urogynecology team will conduct a comprehensive exam. We offer convenient and comfortable in-office diagnostic exams, including:

• Urodynamic testing — determines whether the bladder is holding and releasing urine properly
• Cystoscopy — uses a small telescope to visualize the inside of the bladder

Treatments Can Improve Quality of Life

Our goal is for patients to return to the lifestyle they previously enjoyed. There are many non-invasive therapeutic approaches, such as physical therapy and pelvic floor exercises, which can help women regain pelvic function. Many pelvic floor disorders can also be successfully corrected through minimally invasive surgical procedures that require little recovery time.

We know that every woman is unique and will respond differently to therapeutic approaches. Our urogynecology team offers an individualized approach to care, developing a treatment plan that will be the most efficient and effective for each patient.

Some treatment options include:

• Pelvic floor exercises for pelvic organ prolapse
• Minimally invasive, same-day midurethral slings for stress urinary incontinence
• Vaginal surgery for pelvic organ prolapse
• Vaginal pessaries for pelvic organ prolapse
• Office-based transurethral injections for stress urinary incontinence
• Botox injections for urge incontinence
• Multimodal approach for the treatment of interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome), including bladder instillations
• Anal sphincteroplasty for fecal incontinence
• Genitourinary and rectovaginal fistula repairs