Pelvic Floor Health
Many women suffer from pelvic floor disorders such as pelvic organ prolapse (dropped bladder, uterus, or vagina), urinary incontinence, and bowel incontinence that can greatly compromise the quality of life. While these conditions are often the result of childbirth, prior pelvic surgery, or simply the aging process, many can be successfully treated with non-surgical or surgical therapies.
At NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, our OB/GYNs have subspecialty training in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. They begin with an evaluation to determine the cause of your condition and discuss your goals for treatment. They will work closely with you to create a treatment plan that tailored to your individualized needs.
Whenever possible, our OB/GYNs treat pelvic floor disorders with non-surgical approaches, such as behavior modification, physical therapy, BOTOX® injections, and nerve blocks. If these approaches are not successful, our OB/GYNs are adept in advanced minimally invasive surgery, including laparoscopic and robotic techniques, that results in faster recovery time and less scarring, pain, and risk of infection.
Our goal is to improve your symptoms and restore pelvic floor function so that you can return to your activities and enjoy the quality of life.
Conditions We Treat
- Chronic pelvic pain, including pain that originates in the bladder
- Uterine prolapse (uterus has dropped from its normal position in the pelvis)
- Urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control)
- Vaginal wall prolapse (vagina has lost its normal shape)
- Vaginal and urethral atrophy (thinning, drying and inflammation due to low estrogen)
- Pelvic floor dysfunction (a result of weakened pelvic floor muscles)
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Fistula (abnormal connection between the bladder and vagina)
- Bowel incontinence (loss of bowel control)
Treatment
We provide the following non-surgical and surgical treatment options:
Nonsurgical Treatment:
- Behavioral modification therapy for bladder retraining
- Pelvic floor rehabilitation
- Biofeedback
- Placement of pessary (a removable device placed in the vagina to support prolapsed uterus)
- Medications, including topical estrogen for vaginal atrophy
- Pudendal nerve block to treat pudendal neuralgia, which causes pelvic pain
- BOTOX® injections to relax pelvic muscles or reduce urinary incontinence
Minimally Invasive Surgery:
- Cystoscopy
- Vaginal surgery
- Laparoscopic reconstructive surgery
- Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery
Our physicians refer patients with more complex urogynecology issues to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where the urogynecology team is actively involved in clinical research networks, including the Collaborative Research in Pelvic Surgery Consortium, that provide the latest cutting-edge technology.