Urogynecology Division

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
163-03 Horace Harding Expressway
Fresh Meadows, NY 11365

Phone (718) 670-2309
Fax (718) 670-2732

Director: Dr. Bogdan Grigorescu, M.D.

From pelvic organ prolapse to incontinence, our specialists at New York Hospital Queens can offer the most advanced symptom relief and treatments available to women today. Urogynecology is a subspecialty of gynecology that treats problems related to the pelvic floor, pelvic organ anatomy and urinary tract function in women. This includes urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ, prolapse genitourinary fistulas and congenital female genital anomalies.

At New York Hospital Queens, many pelvic floor conditions can be managed with minimally invasive therapies with a fast recovery time. We use state-of-art diagnostic equipment, in-office multi-channel urodynamic testing, cystoscopy, and proven therapies.

What is the Pelvic Floor?

The pelvic floor is a term we use to describe the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue that provide support for a woman’s internal organs (including the bowel, bladder, uterus, vagina, and rectum). Not only does the pelvic floor prevent these organs from falling down or out, but it also plays a very important role in making the organs function properly. The brain controls the muscles of the pelvic floor by way of nerves. Any medical conditions or injuries that impact the health of nerves (such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, back surgery, spinal stenosis, or childbirth trauma) can result in weakness of the pelvic floor muscles.

What are Pelvic Floor Disorders?

Women with weakness of the pelvic muscles or tears in the connective tissue may begin to have problems controlling their bladder and bowels. They often describe urine leakage (urinary incontinence), bowel gas or stool leakage (anal incontinence), difficulty emptying their bladder (voiding dysfunction), overactive bladder, or having a bowel movement (constipation).

Some women also feel or see tissue coming out of the opening of their vagina. This can be a prolapse of the uterus or the walls of the vagina. We provide surgical correction of the pelvic floor to treat pelvic prolapse. Pelvic prolapse can manifest in the form of a “bulge” from the vagina. This “bulge” may be a cystocele, rectocele, enterocele or prolapse of the uterus. In most cases, this can be repaired vaginally through a variety of procedures to restore the normal anatomy. Often a laparoscopic approach can be performed to achieve restoration of the normal anatomy. This involves the suspension of the pelvic organs and various pelvic ligaments.

It is possible to experience one or several of these signs and symptoms of pelvic floor disorders. We encourage you to contact us and learn how we can help improve your quality of life by treating your incontinence or prolapse issues.

Urogynecological Conditions:

Urinary Incontinence- the involuntary loss of urine
Stress Incontinence- the involuntary loss of urine with physical stress, such as cough
Urge Incontinence- the sudden loss of urine associated with an uncomfortable urge,
Pelvic Prolapse- a hernia formed by the uterus/ bladder/ or bowel into or through the vagina. Common terms for prolapse include a dropped uterus, dropped bladder, cystocele, or rectocele.
Voiding Dysfunction- incomplete bladder emptying, urinary frequency, and painful urination. The causes of these symptoms may be a bladder condition, or may be caused by a dysfunction of the nerves and muscles in the pelvis around the bladder. The earlier these problems are treated, the more likely they are to be cured. Left untreated, urinary retention can lead to permanent kidney damage.
Chronic Cystitis/Interstitial Cystitis- many women will experience a bladder infection or an acute cystitis, which is easily treated with antibiotics. It is not normal to have the symptoms of urgency, frequency and pain with urination persist for weeks or months. It is also not normal to have these symptoms return more than twice in 6 months.
Fistula or Diverticulum- urine collects in a pouch within the urethra, or flows directly through an abnormal tract into the vagina.
Fecal Incontinence – the inability to control bowel movements, causing stool to leak unexpectedly from the rectum. It ranges from an occasional leakage of stool while passing gas to a complete loss of bowel control.
Rectovaginal fistula – an abnormal connection between the rectum and vagina resulting in abnormal leakage of feces or gas per vagina, can be the result of surgical or obstetrical trauma

Urogynecological Treatment

At New York Hospital Queens we offer a range of treatment options for patients, including non-surgical and conservative methods, medication therapy and surgical options.