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.

Weak bladders stop many women doing sport

New research has revealed that many young women avoid participating in sporting activities because of weak bladders.

25 Sep 2008

24 percent of U.S. women affected by pelvic floor disorders

Nearly 24 percent of U.S. women are affected with one or more pelvic floor disorders, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their analysis is the first to document in a nationally representative sample the extent of pelvic floor disorders, a cluster of health problems that causes physical discomfort and limits activity.

17 Sep 2008

Black women less likely to develop urinary incontinence than white women

The good news for black women: They have less than half the chance of developing urinary incontinence as do white women, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System.

22 Apr 2008

Physical therapy helps symptoms of urinary incontinence in women

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (March 18, 2008) reports that pelvic floor muscle training, in conjunction with bladder training, resolved the symptoms of urinary incontinence in women.

20 Mar 2008

Women's sexual disorders get medical attention in new Stanford program

Medicine is finally opening the bedroom door to women. When the male erectile dysfunction drug Viagra was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998, many middle-aged men experienced a new lease on life, or at least on life in the bedroom.

19 Mar 2008

1 in 3 women has pelvic floor disorder

A new study by Kaiser Permanente found that one-third of women suffer from one or more pelvic floor disorders, which include symptoms such as the frequent urge to urinate, dropped pelvic organs, and incontinence.

3 Mar 2008

Coping with urinary incontinence

For older adults, increased urinary frequency is fairly common.

26 Sep 2007

Scientists isolate stem cells in womb tissue

Scientists in Australia have found a way of identifying probable stem cells in the lining of women's wombs. The finding opens up the possibility of using the stem cells for tissue engineering applications such as building up natural tissue to repair prolapsed pelvic floors.

13 Sep 2007

Large study to look at injuries that afflict millions of women as a result of childbirth

A group of researchers from the University of Michigan Health System has been awarded a $6 million federal grant to study the serious injuries that afflict millions of women as a result of childbirth.

17 Aug 2007

Management of faecal incontinence in adults

Adults who involuntarily lose solid or liquid stools no longer have to suffer in silence, thanks to new national standards on treating and managing the condition, known as faecal incontinence.

17 Jul 2007

Sports hernia repair surgery plus innovative rehab program helps athletes return to play

In recent years, sports hernias have sidelined many high-level athletes for months and, occasionally, prevented a return to competitive sports all together.

16 Jul 2007

Frequent urination often indicates an underlying medical condition

An increase in the number of trips to the bathroom - day or night - is a signal it's time to see a physician.

10 May 2007

Biofeedback treatment can successfully re-train bowel muscles

Chronic constipation affects 15 to 20 percent of the U.S. population. Nearly one-third of affected people have dyssynergic defecation, in which muscles used for bowel movements do not work well, but there's some good news.

4 Apr 2007

Botox for bladder problems

Pioneering medical research is going on at the University of Leicester into the use of Botulinum toxin - commonly thought of as a beauty treatment - for bladder problems.

8 Mar 2007

Damage to muscle during vaginal deliveries connected with pelvic organ prolapse

An increase among women electing to have caesarean sections in recent years has been due in large part to a concern that giving birth vaginally will lead to a fallen bladder and uterus in later life, and the issue has been hotly debated in the medical community.

31 Jan 2007