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Pelvic Floor Conditions

Pelvic Floor Conditions:

Diastasis Recti

Diastasis Recti is the separation of the abdominal muscles, creating a wrinkled-looking appearance in the middle or lower portion of your belly that often comes with other unpleasant symptoms. This condition most commonly affects women during and after pregnancy but can also affect men and newborn babies. Diastasis recti in pregnant or postpartum women are usually the result of the uterus stretching your abdominal muscles during pregnancy. Diastasis recti can also result from excessive abdominal exercises, exercises performed with incorrect posture, weightlifting with improper form, and rapid fluctuations in weight (such as quickly losing a large amount of belly fat).

Symptoms of Diastasis Recti:

Urinary/ Fecal Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the uncontrolled loss of urine. Under normal conditions, the bladder stores urine until it is voluntarily released. This involves a complex interaction between the brain, spinal cord, bladder and support structures in the pelvis. Anything that interferes with this interaction or causes damage to the support tissues can result in a person developing urinary incontinence.

This condition is much more common than most people think, occurring in greater than 40% of American women. The condition should not be considered a normal part of the aging process and occurs in all age groups. In fact, recent studies show that urinary incontinence is becoming quite prevalent among younger women.

Although not a life-threatening problem, urinary incontinence does have negative social implications. You may be obsessed by the fear of urine loss, concerned about urine odor, and worried about being excluded socially. You may feel you are no longer attractive and even lose your sense of sexuality. You may stop exercising or fail to start a weight loss program because of fear of losing urine while exercising. Feeling alone and isolated, some women may distance themselves from their spouses, family members and relatives. Some individuals may restrict or avoid excursions outside the home, social interaction with friends and family. Others will avoid sexual activity because of the fear of loss of urine.

If you suffer from bladder control issues the following sections will help inform you on the different types of urinary incontinence. This information will allow you to better understand the type of urinary incontinence you suffer from. Being better informed will help guide you in deciding what type of treatment would be best for you. In the great majority of situation urinary incontinence can be corrected or significantly improved. Physicians that specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence have the training and knowledge to help you with this condition.

Bowel incontinence, also known as fecal incontinence, is the inability to control bowel movements, which can include leaking stool or difficulty having bowel movements.

Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain is defined as pain below the belly button within the pelvic region. While more prevalent in women, pelvic pain can also affect men. Pelvic pain can present as acute (a sudden, sharp pain due to an injury) or chronic (persistent or ongoing pain) and is difficult to properly diagnose, given the wide range of bodily systems present within the pelvic region.

Pelvic pain can be attributed to the digestive tract, reproductive organs or the urinary system. It requires thorough examination and testing by a specialist to diagnose the underlying issue causing the pain.

There is a wide range of potential causes for pelvic pain in both men and women. It may be related to an issue in the pelvic bone, an infection of the colon, bladder or other non-reproductive organs, or it may be due to inflamed ligaments, tissues or nerves within the pelvic area.

Chronic pelvic pain, in which pain lasts more than six months, can be mild or severe, intermittent or longer lasting and may eventually interfere with one’s daily activities. It’s estimated that approximately 15 percent of women are affected by chronic pelvic pain with 4 percent experiencing severe pain affecting their ability to work.

Cause Of Pelvic Pain In Women

Additional Causes Of Pelvic Pain In Both Men And Women Are:

Other Causes Of Pelvic Pain For Both Men And Women Include:

Prolapse

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) is a downward descent of the female pelvic organs, including the bladder, rectum, uterus if present, upper part of the vagina if the uterus is absent or small bowel resulting in a bulge pressing into or out of the vagina.

 

Prolapse development can be attributed to the damage, stretching and weakening of the support muscles and ligaments in the female pelvis. These support structures keep the bladder, rectum, small bowel and uterus oriented in the appropriate position. Any event that results in damage to these structures can result in POP.

 

Factors contributing to pelvic organ prolapse include:

Symptoms Of Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Types Of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Our Specialists Treat

Vulvodynia

A chronic vulvar pain without an identifiable cause, and the location, frequency and severity differs among patients. The most common symptom reported from patients suffering from this condition is a burning sensation.

 

For women with generalized vulvodynia (GV), pain occurs spontaneously and is relatively constant, but there can be some periods of symptom relief.

 

Activities that apply pressure to the vulva, such as prolonged sitting or sexual intercourse, typically exacerbate symptoms.

 

The majority of women with localized vulvodynia have Provoked Vestibulodynia (PVD), in which pain occurs during or after pressure is applied to the vestibule, e.g., with:

A less common form of localized vulvodynia, known as clitorodynia (pain in the clitoris), can be very painful.

Vaginismus

Vaginismus is a type of sexual dysfunction, an involuntary tightness of the pelvic floor muscles

 

It occurs when the vaginal muscles involuntarily or persistently contract. While it doesn’t interfere with sexual arousal, it can cause pain during sexual intercourse, making penetration difficult. The vaginal muscles involuntarily or persistently contract when they attempt vaginal penetration.

 

Vaginismus is classified into two types:

Some women develop vaginismus after menopause. When estrogen levels drop, a lack of vaginal lubrication and elasticity makes intercourse painful, stressful, or impossible. This can lead to vaginismus in some women.

 

The condition has been linked to:

Dyspareunia

Dyspareunia is genital pain experienced just before, during or after sexual intercourse.Dyspareunia could be due to:

Entry dyspareunia may result from a variety of conditions affecting the labia or vestibule. A history of pain with entry is most commonly associated with vaginismus and inadequate lubrication from incomplete arousal. Entry pain is also suggestive of atrophy, vulvodynia and transient causes such as fungal or bacterial vaginitis and vulvar dystrophies. Atrophic changes from inadequate estrogen levels may also cause entry dyspareunia, although the pain typically extends into the vaginal area as well.

 

Atrophic changes and inadequate lubrication cause problems with dryness or friction with penile movement. The vaginal barrel may not distend and elongate in response to the arousal phase, and this may cause discomfort, particularly in certain positions or with penile impact on the cervix.

 

The pain associated with deep thrusting is often described as “something being bumped into.” Etiologies include endometriosis, pelvic adhesions and pelvic congestion. Other pathology, endometritis and scarring from pelvic inflammatory disease are less frequent causes of dyspareunia. A minority of women with uterine retroversion and pelvic relaxation have pain.

Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis (IC)/bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a chronic painful bladder health issue. Interstitial Cystitis is an issue of long-term bladder pain. It may feel like a bladder or urinary tract infection, but it’s not. It is a feeling of discomfort and pressure in the bladder area that lasts for six weeks or more with no infection or other clear cause. There may also be lower urinary tract symptoms like a regular, urgent need to pass urine. If you or a loved one has IC/BPS, it is of great value to learn how to control symptoms and relieve pain.

 

Symptoms range from mild to severe. For some patients the symptoms may come and go, and for others they don’t go away. IC/BPS is not an infection, but it may feel like a bladder infection. Women with IC/BPS may feel pain when having sex. The more severe cases of IC/BPS can affect your life and your loved ones. Some people with IC/BPS have other health issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and other pain syndromes.

Symptoms

For some, IC/BPS symptoms come and go and may range in severity. For others, they persist. Some people with IC/BPS also have irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and other problems. Symptoms can make everyday life very difficult. These are the most common symptoms:

Pain

Pain (often with pressure) may be constant or may come and go. The pain can get worse as the bladder fills. Some patients feel discomfort in other areas as well, such as the urethra, lower abdomen or lower back. Women may feel pain in the vulva or vagina. Men may feel pain in the scrotum, testicle, penis or rectal area. Both women and men with IC/BPS can have sexual problems as a result. Sex for women is painful because the bladder is right in front of the vagina. A man may have pain a day after having an orgasm.

Frequency

IC/BPS sometimes starts with urinary frequency. The average person passes urine seven times a day and does not have to get up at night more than once to use the bathroom. Frequency is the need to pass urine more often than the average person
both day and night.

Urgency

Some IC/BPS patients have a constant urge to pass urine, even right after urinating. A patient may not notice this as a problem because it develops gradually. In other cases, the sense of urgency is much more dramatic, with symptoms occurring within days. It is unusual to experience urine leaks with IC/BPS. If you are leaking urine, it might be a sign of another problem.

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