Additional Links and Resources
Urogynecology Devices
Glossary
- Bladder neck : The junction of the bladder and the urethra
- Frequency : A type of bladder control problem in which a person needs to urinate more than eight times during the day more than twice at night.
- Kegel: An exercise for the pelvic floor muscles; used to prevent and treat incontinence. Kegel exercises are non-surgical methods to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, by contracting the anal area, as if you are trying to avoid passing gas, and the vagina (as if you were tightening your vagina around a tampon.
- Overactive bladder : Frequent urination and urges to urinate; a popular name for detrusor instability
- Pelvic floor : The supportive network of muscles that extends from the pubic bone to the tailbone with openings for the urethra, the anus and the vagina.
- Pessary : A device worn in the vagina to support or correct the position of the uterus, rectum or bladder.
- Prolapse: When a part of the body drops from its normal position.
- Rectocele: A weakening of the vaginal wall that allows the rectum to bulge into the vagina. (This is different from “rectal prolapse,” which is when the rectum telescopes out of the body so the rectum prolapses out of the anal opening. If you think you have this condition, you should see a geenral surgeon or a colo-rectal surgeon.)
- Urethra: The tube that connects the bladder to the outside of the body.
- Urgency: A type of incontinence in which a person feels a sudden and uncontrollable need to urinate.
Urogynecology Devices
Urodynamic tests measure your bladder function:
- Capacity
- Volume at which the bladder muscle reflexively contracts
- Pressures it generates
- Maximum pressure the sphincter can resist
- Speed of emptying
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Urodynamic Chair |
Pessary or balloon device: A device worn in the vagina to support or correct the position of the uterus, rectum, or bladder.
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Pessary or balloon device |
| Biofeedback detects information about a biological function, such as muscle tension, and provides feedback so you can gain greater awareness and control over that function. In the case of incontinence, biofeedback helps you identify pelvic floor muscles and learn to strengthen and control them. |
Biofeedback Device |
| Vaginal weighted cones are a set of smooth, tampon-shaped inserts of increasing weight used to strengthen pelvic muscles. |
Vaginal weighted cones |
| Sling : A slender piece of material surgically inserted under the urethra or bladder neck to provide support and improve continence. |
Sling |
| Electrical Stimulation: A small electrode inside the vagina or rectum delivers an electrical current that can spur your pelvic muscles to contract painlessly. |
Electrical Stimulation Device |
| Surgical insertion of a supportive vaginal sling. We use the latest vaginal sling technology, including TVT sling, SPARC sling, and the use of graft or mesh material for recurrent prolapse. A vaginal sling is a slender piece of material surgically inserted under the urethra or bladder neck to provide support and improve continence. |
Vaginal Sling |
Links & Resources
There are many excellent online sources of information about urinary incontinence and pelvic organ treatment options:
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