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Urogynecology Terms

Feel confident in your care by getting a better understanding of common urogynecology terms. While your provider will ensure you understand your condition and treatment options, we provide a brief glossary for your reference in case you need additional definitions and explanations for terms regarding your care.

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  • Bladder Botox Injections: The use of Botox in urology has recently been approved by the FDA and many studies have found its useful potential in relieving a variety of lower urinary tract dysfunctions including multiple sclerosis, stroke, overactive bladder, interstitial cystitis, and spinal cord injury when conventional treatments have failed.
  • Colpocleisis: Colpocleisis, or Lefort Procedure, is the closure of vaginal prolapse.
  • CT Scan: The CT scan or computerized axial tomogram is a special x-ray of the abdomen and pelvis using a very sophisticated computer with a rotating x-ray head. To help us visualize the body structures more clearly, a dye will be injected into one of your veins and you will be asked to swallow liquid containing barium prior to the procedure.
  • Cystoscopy: A cystoscopy is a procedure that is used to visually inspect the bladder.
  • Hematuria: The word hematuria – from hemat, blood; uria, of urine - simply means blood in the urine. Microscopic hematuria means that the blood is only seen when the urine is examined under a microscope. Gross hematuria, on the other hand, means that there is enough blood in the urine that can be seen with the naked eye.
  • Interstitial Cystitis: Interstitial Cystitis is a chronic condition which results in a persistent urge to empty the bladder more than the average 8 times a day. Many people with IC go to the restroom more than 15 times per day.
  • Kegel exercises: Pelvic floor exercises, or Kegel exercises, consist of repeatedly contracting and relaxing the muscles that form part of the pelvic floor as part of a treatment for incontinence and other pelvic floor issues.
  • Midurethral Sling: Urethral sling surgeries to treat urinary incontinence involve placing a sling around the urethra to lift it back into a normal position and to exert pressure on the urethra to aid urine retention.
  • Overactive Bladder (OAB): Overactive bladder or OAB refers to the feeling of needing to urinate much more often than the average person. Since the medical name for the bladder muscle is detrusor, you may hear this condition called names like "detrusor over-activity" or "detrusor instability".
  • Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is a general term used to describe when the nerves and muscles supporting the pelvis and vagina are not coordinated with bladder, bowel, or sexual function.
  • Pelvic Floor Muscle Rehabilitation (PFMR): The goal of PFMR is to teach you how to contract the pelvic floor muscles to strengthen them and in turn alleviate associated symptoms. This helps reset the nerves and muscles governing bowel and bladder function to give you better control.
  • Percutaneous Nerve Stimulation (PTNS): Percutaneous Nerve Stimulation is sacral nerve stimulation accomplished percutaneously (through the skin) to modulate the neural reflexes that influence the bladder and pelvic floor. This is a form of "electro acupuncture."
  • Phytoestrogen: The word, phytoestrogen, comes from "phyto," meaning plant, and "estrogen" due to their ability to affect estrogenic activity in the body.
  • Prolapse: In medicine, prolapse is a condition where organs, such as the uterus, fall down or slip out of place. It is used for organs protruding through the vagina or the rectum.
  • Stress Incontinence: Stress incontinence is urinary incontinence/leakage with activity. Some common symptoms are: leaking with coughing, leaking with laughing, leaking with sneezing, leaking with exercise
  • Urethral Bulking Agent: Urethral bulking is a technique to thicken the lining of the urethra and narrow the inner diameter to prevent urinary leakage from stress urinary incontinence.
  • Urodynamics: Urodynamics is a collective group of tests that allows us to study how your lower urinary tract works. Your lower urinary tract includes the bladder, which stores your urine, and the urethra which is the tube that carries urine from your bladder to the outside of your body.
  • UTI: Urinary Tract Infection. Some common symptoms are: sharp/burning "knife-like" pain before urination, sharp/burning "knife-like" pain during urination, sharp/burning "knife-like" pain after urination and frequent urination.

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