Two women walking by sea pier
Senior woman and young woman walking outdoors by sea pier

By: Jocelyn Craig, M.D., medical director, Pelvic Health Program, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center

Women of all ages can suffer from bladder and pelvic floor conditions, but they often go untreated because they are assumed to be part of the normal aging process. The Pelvic Health Program at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center is dedicated to helping women suffering from pelvic floor conditions for people as young as late-20s.

The pelvic floor is a combination of muscles, ligaments and connective tissues that support the pelvic organs – the bladder, vagina, uterus and rectum. The pelvic floor can be weakened by a combination of factors, such as childbirth, heavy lifting, menopause, aging, and other chronic medical and neurologic conditions. Although problems do become more common with advancing age, young women also can be affected.

Any woman challenged with a pelvic floor condition knows that these issues can easily affect quality of life, but what most women don’t know is that many of these issues are treatable.

Types of Pelvic Floor Conditions:

  • Urinary incontinence (leaking of urine)
  • Fecal incontinence (passing of gas or stool involuntarily)
  • Pelvic organ prolapse (weakening of pelvic muscles)
  • Pelvic pain
  • Overactive bladder symptoms (frequent and urgent need to urinate sometimes associated with night time urination)
  • Inability to completely empty bladder

Pelvic Health Program

The Pelvic Health Program at Long Beach Medical Center offers comprehensive treatment options for women with pelvic floor conditions, ranging from non-surgical treatments, such as medication, pelvic muscle rehabilitation and intravaginal devices, to a wide spectrum of minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Through a network of providers, the Pelvic Health Program offers patients a comprehensive blend of community and hospital-based programs to bring relief for these conditions. Surgical procedures are provided by skilled pelvic surgeons, including fellowship-trained urogynecologists and pelvic floor condition-experienced urologists, gynecologists and colorectal specialists. Patients receive personalized treatment plans utilizing the least invasive therapies available.