Pelvic floor Check-up

The pelvic floor check-up is a test, which has been specially designed for woman by the German Scientific Society and Professional Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

The aim of this preventive measure is the evaluation of risk factors that can lead in later life to a genital prolapse and incontinence (z. B. bladder weakness). In addition to the detection of individual risks, another subject of the pelvic floor check-up it is a comprehensive educational and medical instruction for treating or preventing incontinence and a genital prolapse.

Incontinence describes the inability of urine (urinary incontinence) or stool (faecal incontinence) withhold.

The causes of incontinence are manifold. Because of the special role of the pelvic floor during childbirth, many of these causes are found in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology.

Most frequently there is a failure of the closing mechanism of the urethra, whose most important parts are the pelvic floor muscles. Generally the failure of the closing mechanism is caused by a loss of function of the sphincter (closing muscles) and leads to a so-called stress or stress urinary incontinence.

Stress urinary incontinence is an unintentional loss of urine due to physical exertion as a result of bladder closure problems. Under a physical stress, the pressure increases in the bladder and exceeds the urethral pressure. Hereby the pelvic floor is the weak point, which can be altered even in healthy young women.

Risk factors include, for example, obesity (overweight), general weakness of connective tissue or chronic bronchitis. Overall, birth traumatic changes and the natural aging processes are responsible for developing incontinence.

The pelvic floor check gives an answer to the following questions:

• How pregnancy and birth affect the function of the pelvic floor?
• Do you have risk factors?
• What can you do to prevent genital prolapse and incontinence?

The Pelvic Floor Check-up consists of a series of different elements, which all together form a comprehensive check-up. Results of the basic check-up may be supplemented by additional specialized studies.

It contains the following elements:

• Clinical history and risk assessment
• Urinalysis
• Urogynaecological examination of the pelvic floor and the genitals
• Functional tests of the pelvic floor muscles
• Pelvic Floor ultrasound with evaluation of the bladder and the pelvic floor
• Post-void residual (PVR)
• Pad Test and micturition diary for three days, if necessary
• Detailed final discussion and recommendations to further examinations and treatments.
• Detailed report of findings.

Depending on the findings, the following special examinations can supplement the pelvic floor check:

• Urodynamic examination
• Uroflow: measurement of urine flow during micturiton for objective finding of bladder dysfunction