Pelvic Floor News and Research

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The pelvic floor is a thin but strong sheet of muscle and connective tissue that closes off the pelvic cavity from below. It supports the pelvic organs, which include the urinary bladder, the uterus, cervix and vagina, and the last part of the large bowel (the rectum) in women. In men, it contains the bladder and the rectum.

Vaginal birth increases risk of pelvic organ prolapse within year after delivery

Women who give birth vaginally are at increased risk of developing pelvic organ prolapse during the year after delivery, according to a study of Chinese women by researchers at Yale School of Medicine and Wenzhou Third People's Hospital.

3 Jul 2013

Tibial nerve stimulation reduces symptoms of overactive bladder, research finds

Beaumont Health System research finds that symptoms of overactive bladder, or OAB, were reduced in those who received tibial nerve stimulation. The three-year results published in the June issue of The Journal of Urology show participants with urinary frequency, urgency and involuntary loss of urine maintained significant improvement in their symptoms.

31 May 2013

Long-term success rates of surgery to treat pelvic organ prolapse are lower than expected

Research conducted by the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network, an initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health, has revealed that the long-term success rates of a surgery to treat pelvic organ prolapse are lower than expected. Nearly one-third of women develop anatomic or symptomatic treatment failure within five years of undergoing sacrocolpopexy for pelvic organ prolapse, according to a study published in the May 15 issue of JAMA.

17 May 2013

Exercise during pregnancy can reduce rate of cesarean deliveries in healthy pregnant women

Researchers at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid have found that regular and supervised exercise by experts during pregnancy can reduce the rate of instrumental and cesarean deliveries in healthy pregnant women.

4 Mar 2013

Physiotherapy aids defecation in constipated children

Physiotherapy may be an effective complementary therapy to laxatives for treating constipation in children, research indicates.

20 Feb 2013

Women more likely to experience urinary and faecal incontinence, prolapse after vaginal delivery

Women are more likely to experience urinary incontinence, prolapse and faecal incontinence 20 years after one vaginal delivery rather than one caesarean section, finds new research published in a thesis from Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

31 Jan 2013

Pelvic floor exercises after RP ‘sufficient’

Performing pelvic floor muscle training both before and after radical prostatectomy is no more effective at reducing postoperative urinary incontinence than performing the exercises after surgery, report researchers.

30 Jan 2013

Colorectal cancer screening: an interview with Dr Donato F. Altomare

Colorectal cancer is a malignant neoplasm affecting the large bowel and the rectum mainly after the 5th decade of life and representing the second cause of death for cancer in western countries (the third in women). In about 15-20% of patients there is an inherited predisposition.

29 Jan 2013

Diffusion tensor imaging detects complex muscle structures in 3D

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Academic Medical Center (AMC) in Amsterdam have together developed a technique that allows detailed 3D imaging of complex muscle structures of patients.

31 Oct 2012

Women more likely to develop UTI after pelvic-floor surgery

Women who have a positive urine culture test on the day of surgery for a pelvic-floor disorder are more likely to have a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the first six weeks after the procedure.

9 Oct 2012

Oral medication as effective as Botox injections for treating incontinence in women

Oral medication for treating a type of incontinence in women is roughly as effective as Botox injections to the bladder, reported researchers who conducted a National Institutes of Health clinical trials network study, with each form of treatment having benefits and limitations.

6 Oct 2012

Loyola researchers to study link between long-distance running and pelvic floor disorders

While many marathon runners may be preoccupied with shin splints, chafing and blisters come race day, one thing they may not consider is their bladder health.

5 Oct 2012

Many women undertreat pelvic floor disorders and suffer in silence

New research issued by the PFD Alliance finds that 90 percent of Americans underestimate or are unsure about the prevalence of pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) which will impact one in three women at some point during their lives. This means many women undertreat PFDs and suffer in silence.

19 Sep 2012

Society for Women's Health Research Board Chair to address NFWL in Tampa

Stressing the importance of urological health and increased funding into women's health research, Lindsey Kerr, MD, Chair of the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) Board of Directors and founder and director of the Urologic Wellness Center at Eastern Maine Medical Center will address the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) in Tampa, Fla. today.

29 Aug 2012

Montefiore launches first fellowship program in Women's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Montefiore Medical Center has launched the nation's first fellowship program in Women's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (WPM&R), and established a new clinical program in this specialty.

6 Aug 2012

Prostate patients make moves toward normality

A prompt return to usual daily activity is more likely for patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy if they start performing certain exercises soon after their operation, say researchers.

9 Jul 2012

Midurethral slings can prevent pre-operative urinary incontinence in women with vaginal prolapse

A multicenter study involving a UT Southwestern Medical Center urogynecologist will eliminate some of the guesswork physicians face about whether to use a sling during vaginal prolapse repair to prevent urinary incontinence.

21 Jun 2012

AUA Foundation introduces It's Time to Talk About OAB campaign

On the heels of the fourth annual World Continence Week, the American Urological Association (AUA) Foundation has launched "It's Time to Talk About OAB," a nationwide education campaign designed to elevate awareness of Overactive Bladder (OAB), a common, yet often untreated condition, as a public health issue.

20 Jun 2012

LUHS opens new center to treat women with pelvic-floor disorders

Loyola University Health System (LUHS) will open a multidisciplinary center to treat women with pelvic-floor disorders beginning today, Wednesday, June 13.

14 Jun 2012

First U.S.-based study to assess per-patient annual economic costs of fecal incontinence

Care for patients with fecal incontinence costs $4,110 per person for both medical and non-medical costs like loss of productivity, according to new research from the University of Michigan.

2 Jun 2012