Pessary Use After Vaginal Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery
November 12, 2014
A pessary is a vaginal support device that elevates the walls of the vagina. It is sometimes used to treat pelvic organ prolapse in women who do not want surgery or who are not healthy enough to have a surgery. Another use of the pessary is in the post-operative period. After performing vaginal prolapse surgery, we commonly suture a pessary […]
What are anal skin tags? Can I have anal skin tags removed during my labiaplasty?
October 6, 2014
Anal skin tags are non-painful growths of skin near the anus. Some patients with anal skin tags complain that the skin tags are a nuisance when cleaning the area. Most arise from old healed hemorrhoids. Some of our patients who are undergoing labiaplasty also have their anal skin tags removed. The skin tags are evaluated prior to removal to ensure […]
What Stage is my Pelvic Organ Prolapse?
September 27, 2014
When a woman has pelvic organ prolapse, rectocele, and uterine prolapse, the extent of the prolapse is described in the form of a stage. Staging is a process by which we objectively define how large the bulge of a prolapse is by physical examination of the pelvis. There are four stages, 1-4, with Stage 1 being the least amount of […]
Constipation Management
August 8, 2014
Constipation Management It is important to have a bowel movement every day. Below are recommendations to treat constipation both short-term and long-term. Mornings (long-term) Take one fiber capsule each morning. There are two fiber capsules you can purchase at either Walgreens or CVS (see picture below). You may need to decrease the dose to every other day if you experience […]
Kegel Exercises / Kegel Maneuvers
August 8, 2014
Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and can be done to help treat urinary incontinence. To identify the proper muscle to improve muscle control we suggest you insert a finger in the vagina and squeeze your finger. Once you have identified the correct muscle, you can do the exercises at any time during the day. The muscles that contract […]
Urge Suppression
August 8, 2014
When a woman has a strong urge to void, rushing to the bathroom can result in urine leakage. This is because the bladder contracts as you try to make it to the bathroom before urinating. To train the body out of this pattern, we recommend performing a kegel maneuver and relaxing. Begin the kegel maneuver when you experience a strong […]
Timed Voids
August 8, 2014
Women with overactive bladder experience urinary urgency and frequency as the bladder contracts when it should be relaxing. Timed voids retrain the bladder to contract only when voiding. Void every 2 hours while awake or at a regular time interval that works with your schedule. Set timer or alarm on phone for the selected time interval. Empty the bladder before […]
Suggestions for Suppressing the Urge to Revoid
August 8, 2014
Post Void Urgency Some patients with Overactive Bladder have the urge to void immediately following voiding. The cause of this symptom is the bladder contraction after urination at a time when the bladder should be relaxing. Sometimes this urge results in unexpected urine loss. To train the body out of this pattern, we recommend suppressing the urge to revoid with a kegel maneuver. Allow for […]
Side Effects of Medication for Overactive Bladder
August 8, 2014
Overactive Bladder Medication Side Effects Anticholinergics (such as Ditropan, Vesicare, Myrbetriq, Toviaz, Enablex, Gelnique) work by binding to cholinergic receptors in the bladder, inhibiting involuntary bladder contractions. These cholinergic receptors also exist in other organs, and binding to them thus causes other side effects. Dry mouth: This is not a sign of dehydration. For symptoms of dry mouth, use Biotene […]
Sleep hygiene for bladder symptoms
August 8, 2014
Sleep Hygiene for Your Bladder Women with over active bladder may empty their bladder multiple times at night which can be very disruptive to sleep. To minimize night time voiding: Empty your bladder before sleeping Limit the amount of fluid you drink after dinner. At night, decrease the number of hours of sleep so that you can sleep your maximum number of hours […]