Female pathologies: when to go to the gynecologist and when to the urologist

In general, specialists in urology see more those male pathologies, because many are related to prostate problems. However, although there is a sector of the population that does not know, urologists are also responsible for treating some female pathologies. In this sense, the main diseases of women that are referred to the urologist are urine infections, cystitis (especially those recurrent and recurrent) and urinary incontinence, especially in menopausal women or who have been multiparous, something Which in turn increases stress urinary incontinence.

 

Cystitis and urinary incontinence, major pathologies that treat urologists

As explained above, the main female pathologies that urologists treat are:

• Recurrent and recurrent cystitis and cystitis: These are recurrent urinary tract infections in some women. They are characterized by suffering the stinging patient, need to go to the bathroom frequently, and even blood in the urine.

 

• Urinary incontinence, which can be of two types:

1) Stress Urinary Incontinence : It is the typical urinary incontinence in multiparous women, that is, those who have had several births. It is characterized by patient suffering from intra-abdominal pressure leaks , making minimal efforts, such as laughing, coughing and even getting out of bed or a chair.

 

2) Incontinence due to bladder instability: Urinary incontinence. Patients say they are keen to urinate suddenly, which prevents them from getting to the bathroom in time.

 

• Renal lithiasis: Kidney stones or kidney stones occur to a greater extent in men. However, there is also a percentage of women who may suffer.

 

• Stones in the gallbladder: Gallbladder stones that, unlike kidney stones, are more prevalent in women. In fact, the ratio is three to one: for every three women who have stones in the gallbladder, only one man has them.

 

However, Urology also treat and treat oncological pathologies at the kidney and bladder level , ie, any carcinoma affecting the kidneys or bladder. Although renal and bladder cancers are more prevalent in men than in women, especially renal, women can also suffer. One example is bladder cancer, closely related to exposure to tobacco. Although traditionally the percentage of smokers has been higher in men than in women, the number of smokers has increased in recent years. This factor has also increased the cases of bladder cancer in women. In any case, they are still more prevalent pathologies in men.

 

Diagnosis and treatment of urological female pathologies

The Urologist, in order to make a correct diagnosis of the pathology that the patient undergoes, will carry out a clinical diagnosis, based on the symptoms and problems described by the patient and, later, will perform a urodynamic study , something that will allow to name the problem.

 

Thanks to the above you will be able to differentiate if an incontinence is of effort or by bladder instability, for example. Once the distinction is made, you can administer the most appropriate treatment in each case.

 

In this sense, stress urinary incontinence will be treated with rehabilitation of the pelvic floor, as a treatment of preference, as it is due to muscular atrophy. In extreme cases a surgical intervention will be necessary to replace the bladder neck or cestocele. In contrast, urinary incontinence due to bladder instability will be treated with pharmacological treatment by cholinergics.

 

With respect to cases of repeated cystitis , the urologist should rule out that there is an anatomical base that is causing them. Some examples are vesicourethral reflux or stones in the kidneys, as well as neoplasias. If they exist, they should be corrected. It will always be good news for the patient to know that the urinary tract is well. In contrast, the negative reading is that they are women who enter a dynamic of recurrent infections, and prophylaxis is difficult. There is no etiologic treatment that causes cystitis. Some parapharmacy and even dietary treatments, such as the intake of blueberries, have been popularized, which claim to decrease urine infections. However, they are remedies with relative effectiveness and little proven.

 

Cystitis has a randomized course: there are women who can spend six months without having them again, but there will also be periods when they suffer more and more frequently. The most serious complication of a cystitis is that it develops into a pyelonephritis , that is, that the infection reaches the kidney, so that the low urine infection becomes larger and already involves: fever, pain in one Kidneys and severe infection. This occurs more easily in diabetic and pregnant women, who may even need admission. In any case, cystitis is usually managed well on an outpatient basis, with antibiotics. They are more detrimental to the patient in terms of impairment in their quality of life, not so much because it is a serious situation that may mean future consequences.