Almost every woman who has experienced vaginal childbirth has sustained some damage to her "pelvic floor." This little-known term describes the network of muscles, fascia, and nerves at the base of the pelvis that provides support for the pelvic and intra-abdominal organs (vagina, uterus, urinary bladder, rectum, etc.). Although in most women the damage suffered from natural childbirth is mild, and may result in some temporary incontinence, unfortunately an increasingly large proportion of child-bearing women are experiencing more serious injuries and a host of unpleasant consequences: continuous urinary and anal incontinence, sexual dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain and sagging, and protruding pelvic organs, among other symptoms. Since such conditions are embarrassing, women are often reluctant to discuss their discomfort even with physicians and continue to suffer needlessly by not seeking treatment.
This book - the first of its kind - is designed to help both women who already suffer from this "silent epidemic" and women who wish to assess the risks of vaginal delivery. Dr. Magnus Murphy, an obstetrician and gynecologist who specializes in pelvic floor disorder, and coauthor Carol L. Wasson give women the vital information they need to understand symptoms, find treatment, and weigh their childbirth options. Among the topics discussed are advances in labor and delivery, the politics of childbirth, the anatomy and function of the pelvic floor, the wide range of symptoms resulting from damage to the pelvic floor, types of treatments available, and the option of elective cesarean birth.
Complete with glossary, numerous illustrations, and references for further information, this highly useful handbook makes an important contribution to women's health and draws attention to a serious though often neglected problem.
About the Author: Magnus Murphy, M.D. is the author (with Carol L. Wasson) of Pelvic Health and Childbirth: What Every Woman Needs to Know and (with Pauline McDonagh Hull) of Choosing Cesarean: A Natural Birth Plan. He is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Calgary. He is also in private practice specializing in pelvic floor disorders and at the Pelvic Floor Clinic at the Calgary Regional Health Authority. He created the website www.pelvicfloor.com, which provides information and sensitive responses to queries on these disorders.
Carol L. Wasson is an international trade press author and owner of JCL Marketing & Communications, Inc.