Urethral Disorders—Pelvic Support Problems

Also called: Cystocele, Enterocele, Pelvic prolapse, Rectocele

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and other tissues that form a sling or hammock across the pelvis. In women, it holds the uterus, bladder, bowel, and other pelvic organs in place so that they can work properly. The pelvic floor can become weak or be injured. The main causes are pregnancy and childbirth. Other causes include being overweight, radiation treatment, surgery, and getting older.

Common symptoms include

• Feeling heaviness, fullness, pulling, or aching in the vagina. It gets worse by the end of the day or during a bowel movement.
• Seeing or feeling a “bulge” or “something coming out” of the vagina
• Having a hard time starting to urinate or emptying the bladder completely
• Having frequent urinary tract infections
• Leaking urine when you cough, laugh, or exercise
• Feeling an urgent or frequent need to urinate
• Feeling pain while urinating
• Leaking stool or having a hard time controlling gas
• Being constipated
• Having a hard time making it to the bathroom in time

Your health care provider diagnoses the problem with a physical exam, a pelvic exam, or special tests. Treatments include special pelvic muscle exercises called Kegel exercises. A mechanical support device called a pessary helps some women. Surgery and medicines are other treatments.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

• Anterior vaginal wall repair (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pelvic floor muscle training exercises (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Rectal prolapse (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urinary Retention – NIH (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Uterine prolapse (Medical Encyclopedia)

The urethra is the tube that allows urine to pass out of the body. In men, it’s a long tube that runs through the penis. It also carries semen in men. In women, it’s short and is just above the vagina. Urethral problems may happen due to aging, illness, or injury. They include

• Urethral cancer – a rare cancer that happens more often in men
• Urethral stricture – a narrowing of the opening of the urethra
• Urethritis – inflammation of the urethra, sometimes caused by infection

Urethral problems may cause pain or difficulty passing urine. You may also have bleeding or discharge from the urethra.

Doctors diagnose urethral problems using different tests. These include urine tests, x-rays and an examination of the urethra with a scope called a cystoscope. Treatment depends on the cause of the problem. It may include medicines and, in severe cases, surgery.

• Chlamydial infections – male (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Epispadias (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Meatal stenosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Self catheterization – female (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Self catheterization – male (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Traumatic injury of the bladder and urethra (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urethral discharge culture (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urethral stricture (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urethritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urinary Retention – NIH (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)