Advanced Expertise in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pelvic Floor Disorders

The female pelvic health specialists at University Hospitals are leaders in diagnosing, managing and treating pelvic floor disorders in women. Your initial consultation will include an in-depth screening, medical history and physical exam. Based on that information, the appropriate specialists will be consulted to develop a comprehensive treatment plan. Specialists involved in your care may include a female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgeon, a pelvic floor physical therapist, a sexual health therapist and a specially trained female pelvic health counselor.

Compassionate Care for all Aspects of Female Pelvic Health

Our female pelvic health teams can diagnose and treat a wide range of pelvic floor disorders, including:

• Chronic pelvic pain
• Congenital abnormalities: Problems that occur before birth.
• Cystocele (fallen bladder): When the supportive tissue between a woman's bladder and vaginal wall weakens and stretches causing the bladder to drop from its normal position.
• Enterocele: When the small intestine falls into the lower pelvic cavity and pushes on the top part of the vagina creating a bulge.
• Fecal incontinence: The inability to control bowel movements, causing stool to leak unexpectedly from the rectum.
• Fistulas: Abnormal connections or tunnels between an organ and another structure, such as between the bowel and the vagina.
• Interstitial cystitis: Also called painful bladder syndrome, this condition causes discomfort, pain or tenderness in the bladder, abdomen and pelvic area, along with the need to urinate frequently.
• Neurogenic bladder: Bladder dysfunction caused by neurologic damage, with symptoms such as overflow incontinence, frequency, urgency, urge incontinence, and retention problems.
• Overactive bladder: Symptoms include a frequent need to void, bladder pressure, and urge incontinence (difficulty holding back urine when having the urge to urinate)
• Pelvic organ prolapse: The shifting or dropping of organs from their normal position
• Rectocele: Bulging of the front wall of the rectum into the back wall of the vagina.
• Recurrent bladder infections: Also called chronic cystitis, this condition causes recurring pain when urinating and a constant urge to go to the bathroom.
• Sexual dysfunction
• Urethral diverticulum (UD): A pocket or pouch that forms along the urethra that can fill with urine and lead to infections.
• Urethrocele: Prolapse or protruding of the vagina into the urethra.
• Urinary incontinence
• Urinary retention: Inability to empty the bladder completely.

The Most Advanced Treatment Options for Female Pelvic Floor Disorders

At University Hospitals, our nationally recognized female pelvic health experts provide the best treatment options for a full range of female pelvic floor issues including pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, overactive bladder and urinary incontinence.

Our integrated approach to care ensures patient satisfaction through superior outcomes. Treatments for female pelvic health conditions may include:

• Pelvic floor rehabilitation: Our certified pelvic floor therapists help train patients to strengthen pelvic muscles, which may help to reduce or resolve pelvic pain, incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.
• Reconstructive surgery: Our fellowship-trained surgeons use the most advanced minimally invasive and robotic surgery techniques to correct a variety of vaginal and pelvic floor disorders.
• DiVa® laser treatment for vaginal dryness: This laser treatment is a fast, in-office procedure that resurfaces the vaginal wall to help improve a woman’s gynecologic and genitourinary health.
• Botox® injections: When injected into the bladder, Botox treatments may be helpful in treating urge incontinence and overactive bladder.