One in three American women will have a pelvic health disorder at some point in their lives and many of them will suffer needlessly.
Many women experience issues related to incontinence, for example, when they are pregnant or after childbirth.
The disorder is also thought by many to be just a consequence of weakened bladder muscles that might come with aging. But the disorder is far more pervasive than that.
“Oh, that's just part of aging. Oh, that's just part of having a baby normalizes those things, and so you don't even stop to think that there could be help for it,” said Sylvia Botros-Brey, MD. She is a urogynecologist, a specialist in Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery.
The related issues of the disorder are many, and they are disruptive to a woman’s quality of life. But they often go unchecked.
“It's really underserved, and it's quality of life. So it's the kind of stuff that you could overlook, if you will, if you're too busy,” said Botros-Brey.
Incontinence, overactive bladder, and pelvic organ prolapse are among the most common conditions of pelvic health disorder for which there are effective treatments that too many women don’t know exist.
Botros-Brey is working to change that. At UT Health San Antonio, there’s help.
“So when a patient comes to see me or my colleagues, we're going to really get down to what combination of things you have,” she said.. “And we want to tailor our therapies to you, and since it is quality of life, there's no right or wrong answer. So it's a lot of personalized care.”
These issues, importantly, are not just part of being a woman and shouldn’t be perceived as inevitable circumstances that are accepted offhandedly and coped with in only a cursory way.
According to Botros-Brey, “Urinary incontinence is common, but it's not normal.”
For women experiencing the disorder or its many other conditions, talking to a doctor will reveal many options for addressing the issue.
Science & Medicine is a collaboration between TPR and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio that explores how scientific discovery in San Antonio advances the way medicine is practiced everywhere.
