Female Urology and Voiding Dysfunction

What to Expect

Patient care begins with a comprehensive evaluation by one of the specialists in our offices at the Department of Urology. For the initial appointment, you should bring your medical records and any test results (if applicable), including X-rays.

During the evaluation with one of our specialists, you can expect the following:

• A review of your medical history, test results and notes from your referring physician 
• An in-depth conversation about your lower urinary tract symptoms and normal function before the condition appeared (if disorder is not congenital)
• A discussion of your lifestyle and expectations for treatment

For your convenience, additional testing (if necessary) is performed onsite.

Tests may include standard X-rays or urodynamics, an advanced method for collecting biofeedback from patients whose conditions have proven difficult to diagnose. Most tests are noninvasive or minimally invasive and performed on an outpatient basis.

Comprehensive and Personalized Care for Urinary Disorders

After evaluating you and examining test results, your urologist designs a personalized treatment plan to eliminate or alleviate your symptoms. Treatment typically focuses on finding the most effective therapy that will be least disruptive to your life.

For example, your urologist may start by prescribing oral medication (for appropriately selected patients). By beginning with more conservative approaches, the physician may enable you to avoid invasive procedures.

In every case, our physicians rely on their specialized training, as well as the depth and breadth of their experience, to select the therapies most likely to produce your desired outcome. Our patients frequently report that our physicians are exceptionally supportive and accessible throughout the course of treatment.

Leading the Way With Innovative Therapies

Because of the rapid pace of innovation, new medications, procedures and devices for treating incontinence and other lower urinary tract symptoms continually are being tested and approved. Our team is at the forefront of pioneering and adopting these breakthroughs, many of which are minimally invasive and include:

• Oral prescription medications that produce better outcomes with fewer side effects
• Injection therapies using medications such as collagen and botulinum toxin (i.e. Botox)
• Nerve stimulation therapies, including Interstim
• The latest slings, pessaries and other medical devices, many of which demonstrate impressive success rates

Voiding Dysfunction and Incontinence

Incontinence (leaking urine) and other urination-related problems belong to a broad category of disorders called voiding dysfunctions. Although common, these conditions can be difficult to discuss—and can dramatically diminish quality of life.

Through the Voiding Dysfunction and Incontinence Program, we treat the entire range of these disorders, including:

• Urge incontinence: the need to urinate immediately with little or no warning (also known as overactive bladder)
• Stress incontinence: uncontrolled urination resulting from actions such as coughing or sneezing
• Mixture of both urge and stress incontinence
• Slow urinary stream
• Urinating that repeatedly interrupts overnight sleep
• Adult bedwetting

Our Team

Our urologists have devoted their careers to studying and treating lower urinary tract symptoms. Why is this specialization so important for patients?

First, there are many underlying causes of voiding dysfunctions. Symptoms can appear in patients with diabetes, men with enlarged prostates, women who have undergone certain pelvic procedures and people with progressive neurological illnesses. The entire list of symptoms and causes is too long to mention.

Our physicians, however, have developed the expertise to diagnose these conditions with exceptional precision through specialized training and years of clinical experience.

Additionally, today's scientists have made tremendous strides in discovering safer and more effective therapies including:

• New medications
• Less invasive procedures
• Novel medical devices

Our specialists use these innovations in their practices and have helped develop many of them in collaboration with leading researchers.