Every year, millions of women around the world experience pelvic floor dysfunction. Because the pelvic floor muscles work as part of the waste (excretory) and reproductive systems during urination and sex, pelvic floor dysfunction can co-exist with many other conditions.

It is estimated that 65 percent of American women suffer from urinary incontinence or pelvic pain and that patients wait as long as seven years before receiving treatment. This is what Dr David Gerber, MD, a labiaplasty surgeon and gynecologist specialist in Toronto, hopes to change.

Knowing When to Seek Help

Several symptoms may be a sign that you have pelvic floor dysfunction. If you have any of these symptoms, you should tell your healthcare provider:

Incontinence or an overactive bladder

Frequently urinating and leaking cause women to limit their physical activity. Women can experience incontinence as early as their 20s, but typical patients are active women in their 40s who have had two or three children and are feeling pelvic pressure, fullness, or as if something is ‘falling’, Dr David Gerber says. If you are fearful of leakage when walking, running, or even sneezing, you need to get help.

Pain in the lower back or pelvis that improves when lying down

Dr David Gerber, a gynecologist at Meridia Medical, explains that women who feel pelvic pressure or fullness may have vaginal prolapse, which is the equivalent of a vaginal hernia. The condition can be significantly improved through physical therapy or non-invasive surgery.

Pain in the pelvis and pain during sexual activity

As leading labiaplasty surgeon, Dr David Gerber points out, pain is always an indicator of something amiss. The good news is that help is readily available. Physical therapy and non-invasive surgery are great ways to restore the spring in a woman’s step and return her to an active lifestyle.”

It is always gratifying for Dr David Gerber to talk to patients who are able to do the things they enjoy again thanks to his treatment. In his experience, women feel empowered and excited once they have relief from their symptoms.