Pelvic Prolapse Research

You may never have heard of it, but it's a problem that will affect one out of every nine women in the U.S. Pelvic prolapse is the weakening of muscles and connecting tissues that support the organs in the pelvis against the strains of life and gravity. But what if we could treat women earlier in life to help them avoid these problems that can cause both discomfort and reduce their quality of life?

Pelvic Medicine Research and Treatment

For decades, Scott & White has had an extensive program focused on the diagnosis and treatment of women with pelvic problems including incontinence and prolapse. In addition to treating these problems, Scott & White researchers are focusing their efforts on finding out what causes them to develop as a woman ages.

Creating New Models for Pelvic Prolapse Research

Thomas Kuehl, Ph.D. and Lisa Pierce, D.Sc., who work in the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology at Scott & White, have dedicated much of their time to the question of what causes prolapse and other ailments of the pelvic floor (the sling of muscles and connecting tissues supporting the abdominal organs).

“Through clinical work and research, we know that many of these problems affect women who have given birth to multiple children,” Dr. Kuehl said.

In an effort to learn more in a shorter amount of time, the Scott & White team of researchers have come up with new models to help researchers examine the causes, treatments and potential preventative actions.

Finding the Cause of Pelvic Prolapse

“Despite the common occurrence of pelvic organ prolapse and associated bladder and bowel dysfunction, the cause or causes of pelvic floor dysfunction remain speculative,” Dr. Pierce added.

Through their study, the research team is trying to determine what changes associated with childbirth sets some women on the path to develop prolapse later in life. The factors also include actions of aging and genetics. The ultimate goal of this research is to find measures that can prevent the development of prolapse problems as a woman ages.

So far, Dr. Kuehl, Dr. Pierce and their team have published their observations in high quality peer reviewed journals and received national funding for their study. They continue to apply for additional funds with the hope that someday they can save millions of women from problems that limit freedom and affect the quality of life.

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