Posts in Category: Incontinence
Platelet-Rich Plasma for bladder leakage and orgasm
Have you heard about platelet-rich plasma yet? It is the hot new thing in medicine. It is used in orthopedics to heal joints, in the face to rejuvenate the skin, and now in the vagina to help improve bladder control and orgasm. It is a very exciting breakthrough and I have figured out how to inject it pain-free.
If you have problems with mild bladder leakage and/or weak orgasms, then platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can help you!
Platelet-rich plasma is derived from your own blood. When you first come in for the procedure, we will draw out your own blood. (This is the most painful part of the procedure.) Your own blood is then processed in a centrifuge to be able to concentrate and extract the plasma from the top. This plasma is yellow and it is filled with not only platelets, but also with growth factors which promote healing and rejuvenation. This is really good stuff!
Meanwhile, your vaginal area is being numbed with a cream for about 20 minutes. After that I use my special technique to inject the platelet-rich plasma painlessly. Patients are amazed, especially patients that have had the injection elsewhere and did NOT have a good experience.
Afterwards, there is minor bleeding and minimal pain. You may have a mild vaginal discharge for a couple of days, but the recovery is very easy and you can get right back to regular activities.
Over the next few weeks, the growth factors will be in there building new collagen, new blood vessels and new nerves that help you control your bladder better and improve your orgasms! God created sex and designed it be enjoyable between a wife and her husband. Yet many women struggle with weak or no orgasm. Do not feel ashamed to ask for help in this area. It will help you enjoy your husband and your life even more.
Call 281-717-4003 for an appointment.
All the best to you and many blessings,
Dr. Christi
It’s Time to Get out of the Bathroom
Do you know exactly where the restroom is in each of your favorite restaurants, because you go each time you are there? Do you feel the urge to urinate and swear that you just went an hour ago? Does your bathroom schedule interfere with daily life?
If you need to pee more than eight times during the day, and wake up at night, then it’s time to get things under control. Needing to urinate that frequently is not normal, and it affects the lives of so many women. Whether you feel the urge to urinate way too often, or suffer from urine leakage when you exercise, sneeze or cough, we can help.
There are all sorts of non-surgical ways to improve overactive bladder. At Houston Female Urology, we help women, every day, reduce the need to urinate. Many women make progress by simply keeping a voiding diary and making changes to their eating and drinking habits. But when that doesn’t help, it’s time to go to the next step.
Along with overactive bladder, another problem that we address all the time is stress incontinence (aka leaky bladders). If you pee when you exercise, we can help. If you pee when you cough or sneeze, we can help. Many women wrongly assume that surgery is the only way to correct urine leakage. Don’t give up your favorite workout routine because you’re worried about leaking urine.
We are proud to offer several in-office procedures to calm your overactive or leaky bladder: Pelvic Floor Toning, Bladder Botox, and ThermiVa are a few of the easy ways to help you spend less time searching for a public restroom.
Call our office at 281.823.9380 to schedule a consultation, and we’ll get started on a plan just for you.
Cheers to a healthy you!
-Dr. P
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A Q&A about the MonaLisa Touch
When I first learned about the MonaLisa Touch laser, I wondered if it was too good to be true. Could a vaginal laser really help post-menopausal women and breast cancer patients experience healthy regrowth of their thinning vaginal walls? I had to see it to believe it. I traveled to California in November 2015 to watch other doctors perform the treatment. To my amazement, many women reported back with noticeable changes after only one session.
I had to bring the MonaLisa Touch to Houston Female Urology – and the response has been amazing. Not only are the treatment sessions approximately five minutes, my patients say that the laser is virtually painless and they can continue on with their day as soon as they leave the office.
I want to share some honest answers with you. I asked one of my patients, Sharon S., to answer a few questions and share her real experience with the MonaLisa Touch. See what she said:
What was life like before your first MonaLisa Touch treatment?
I had age-related symptoms of dryness, burning and pressure resulting in frequent trips to the bathroom. I also experienced drips when sneezing and coughing. I thought I was going to have to learn to live with these problems; however, after my first MonaLisa Touch treatment, I saw improvements in all areas, and I couldn’t wait for my second and third treatments.
Tell me about the day you had the treatment…
On the day of my first treatment, I left the office and continued with what I had scheduled without a problem. The procedure was no worse than having a pap smear. Within the first week of my first treatment I saw a difference in each of the symptoms I was experiencing. I was actually pleasantly surprised that I had improvements so soon.
How did your MonaLisa Touch treatment impact your life?
I have had all three of my treatments, and I can say there has been an even bigger difference with the symptoms I was experiencing. I stopped using my estrogen cream because the problem with dryness was gone, the burning is not a problem, and the pressure when needing to urinate is gone. I am making less trips to the bathroom at night (unless I drink an unusual amount of water before bed), and experiencing no drips. Not only have I experienced a difference, but my husband said that he could tell a difference during intimacy. I also have been able to tell a difference. It is worth it, and I would do the procedure again without question.
This really works. My patients and other women throughout the world are seeing results. Are you ready to learn more? Join me for a free seminar at my office about the treatment. Give us a call! (281) 717-4003
-Dr. P
Bladder Botox: bringing relief to my patients
Botox is well known for its cosmetic purposes. If we’re honest, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is a procedure that targets and relaxes facial wrinkles. Fortunately for those suffering with urinary incontinence, Botox can also provide a powerful answer for this problem. This can be treated with an injection in the muscle of the bladder to ease the symptoms of an overactive bladder.
The New York Times recently conducted an in-depth report on incontinence. The study found that, “About 20 million American women … have urinary incontinence or have experienced it at some time in their lives. The number, however, may actually be higher because most patients are reluctant to discuss incontinence with their doctors. In fact, research indicates that many patients will not admit to having the problem even when questioned directly.”
As a urologist who exclusively treats females, the last thing I want is for my patients to feel like they have to stay quiet and learn to live with this condition. I’m always pleased to tell women about bladder Botox and the relief and freedom it provides. I understand that this is a tough topic to approach for many, but my team at Houston Female Urology handles this discussion with empathy, care and kindness.
Bladder Botox is a quick in-office procedure that is well tolerated by our patients. The treatment begins by flushing the bladder with a local anesthesia through a catheter to numb the bladder. Then a scope is passed up the urethra into the bladder, and a small needle is placed through the scope where several injections are made to spread the Botox throughout the muscle of the bladder. This significantly relaxes the bladder, and my patients are able to return home on the same day of the procedure.
The Botox begins to work at about one week with its full effects beginning at two weeks. While this procedure is not permanent, it lasts approximately six to eight months when injected in the bladder. There are no limitations to the extent of use, and my patients are so happy with the results I tend to see them once or twice each year for Botox injections.
One of the best parts of my job is bringing hope to women who often silently struggle with urology issues. It’s so rewarding to see my patients’ faces when they see the light at the end of the tunnel after Botox – they have their lives back.
Dr. P
It’s World Continence Week! Reach out for help
Yes, there is a day or a week for just about everyone and every cause these days! But this one is near and dear to my heart, because I see women every day whose lives are affected negatively by incontinence. Fortunately, I also get to see how their lives are greatly improved by our treatments. World Continence Week is an annual initiative with a primary goal of raising awareness about issues related to bladder control. You probably know that incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine, but did you realize that bladder control problems are preventable, and they can be managed and often cured?
This is a hard topic for many people to talk about, and believe me, I completely understand. Of all the medical issues that women talk about with their friends, for some reason, they do not want to talk about this issue. Some of my patients even hide it from their husbands. Incontinence is a sensitive subject, and it affects an estimated 400 million people around the world.
Because this sometimes feels too taboo to discuss, World Continence Week has stepped in to draw attention to the problems and increase awareness about the condition. At the end of the day, this week is about giving a voice to those who suffer while boosting their confidence to seek help from a doctor and improve quality of life.
I want you to know that if you are suffering with incontinence issues, or you know someone who suffers, you can start the process today to begin changing your life for the better. Here are three easy steps that you can begin right now. I have found these to actually be curative in some cases.
- Reduce your intake of caffeine. Think coffee, tea and sodas.
- Make diet modifications. Spicy and acidic foods can trigger an overactive bladder.
- Establish a bathroom schedule. Urinate before you have the urge.
There are many other options to consider in your journey to treat and cure incontinence. I have created a bladder treatment pathway to make it easy to see the various treatment options and guide you most quickly to the therapy that will work for you. We can discuss the best route for you during a visit to my office. My staff and I talk about this every day, so leave your embarrassment at the door! We are here to care for you and walk beside you as we tackle this issue.
We can discuss:
- Pelvic Floor exercises, either at home or through our pelvic muscle toning program
- Bladder neurostimulators that retrain the bladder nerves and is often a permanent solution
- Bladder Botox, administered easily in the office to relax the bladder muscle
- Medications
- Surgery, such as a simple outpatient 15 minute procedure with 95% success rates
Take action this week! I promise it’s worth it. It can literally change your life.
Dr. P