Urogynecology
Approximately one in three women experience symptoms of pelvic floor disorders in their lifetime, including urinary incontinence and pelvic prolapse. Yet many are reluctant to seek help because they feel embarrassed, assume it’s just part of aging or think nothing can be done to reclaim an active, vibrant life.
Don’t Suffer Another Day
Truth is, not only are pelvic problems very common, they can be effectively treated and often eliminated. And you don’t have to travel to Savannah or Charleston to get the expert care you need.
The women’s health team at Beaufort Memorial includes board-certified obstetricians and gynecologists and urologists. Together, they provide complete, compassionate care to women throughout our communities.
Request an appointment with a provider who meets your needs. We’ll help find the right treatment so you can get back to feeling and living your best.
About Pelvic Floor Disorders
The pelvic floor is the name for the muscles, ligaments and tissue that support the organs of the pelvis: your uterus, bladder and rectum. The pelvic floor keeps these organs in place and functioning properly.
When the pelvic floor becomes weakened or damaged, it can lead to problems such as:
- Urinary incontinence: Involuntary leakage of urine, including when coughing, laughing, sneezing or exercising (stress incontinence).
- Fecal incontinence: Loss of bowel control.
- Pelvic organ prolapse: When the bladder, vagina, uterus, or rectum “falls” from its proper place, creating an uncomfortable “bulge” which often feels like pressure.
Other symptoms can include a painful or overactive bladder, difficulty urinating, low back pain and discomfort during sexual intercourse.
Childbirth and surgery are common causes of pelvic floor disorders. Menopause and aging can weaken the pelvic floor muscles and tissues (especially in women over 40), though younger women can also be affected.
Treatments to Help You Take Control
During your visit, your doctor will talk with you about your symptoms and assess your overall health. We may also recommend certain tests to help identify the problem, including urodynamics, a series of simple, in-office tests that measure bladder function.
Once a diagnosis is made, we’ll work closely with you to create a personalized treatment plan, with options that may include:
- Medication
- Diet and lifestyle changes
- Physical therapy, including Kegel exercises, which involves squeezing and relaxing the pelvic muscles to strengthen them and help support pelvic organs
- Customized hormone replacement therapies
- Vaginal pessary, a removable, silicone device used to support prolapsed organs
Minimally Invasive Techniques
For more severe cases, we may also suggest surgery, including sacrocolpopexy for women likely to suffer repeated organ prolapse. This procedure involves small incisions made in the abdomen to reposition the pelvic organs to their original location.
Our team is skilled in the latest techniques to make your experience as easy as possible.
That includes use of the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System, which often means significantly less pain, a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery for sacrocolpopexy patients. We can also perform robotic hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) for uterine prolapse.
If you’ve had previous, unsuccessful treatments for urinary fecal incontinence our specialists offer InterStim therapy. This innovative, outpatient procedure uses an implantable device to improve communication between the brain and the nerves that control the bladder and the colon, providing long-term relief.
For stress incontinence, our doctors also perform mid-urethral sling surgery, which creates a “hammock” out of mesh or human tissue to help prevent leaks. This is considered the “Gold Standard” worldwide for the treatment of urinary stress incontinence.
Whatever treatment is right for you, you can count on skilled and sensitive care every step of the way.
Find a Physician to Help
Learn more about the following physicians who treat pelvic floor disorders by clicking on their name.