It’s time for the FDA to remove the outdated and misleading boxed warning label on local vaginal estrogen. 75 million women in menopause are being held back by outdated and misleading FDA warnings on local vaginal estrogen—a proven, safe, and effective treatment for GSM symptoms like tissue thinning, painful sex, and recurrent UTIs. Despite overwhelming support from scientific studies, this …
Dealing with Clitoral Phimosis
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Clitoral phimosis, while not widely discussed, is a condition that affects many worldwide. It’s characterized by the formation of adhesions or scar tissue that covers the clitoris, causing discomfort, pain, and sexual dysfunction. Understanding and managing this condition can significantly improve the quality of life for those affected. Contact Us What is …
Menoposium LIVE | Chicago!
Join Let’s Talk Menopause on Friday, May 3rd, 2024 for our second annual half-day, IN-PERSON menoposium – this year in Chicago! Learn from leading experts how perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause can impact your body, mood, sleep, sexual/urinary health, and long-term health. Discover strategies for navigating these changes, including menopause hormone therapy. This Menoposium will dive into symptoms of and …
Insurance, Hormones, and the Help You Need
By PHRC Admin Let us help you untangle something that should be so simple yet is not and continues to be a problem for many; accessibility to healthcare that thousands across the nation need and could benefit from. There exists a notable disparity in the healthcare sector, often overlooked. It’s the inequality faced by individuals going through menopause when …
Article Review: Birth Control Pills Linked With Depression
By PHRC Admin Depression, a common and serious medical illness, affects how we feel, think, and handle daily activities. In recent years, there’s been growing concern over the potential link between hormonal birth control and depression. Join us for a review of an article linking Oral contraceptives (OCPs) to depression! We thank Fiona Riddle for writing on this topic; …
Symptoms of Perimenopause
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Perimenopause and menopause are finally getting more attention & we’re grateful this is finally happening because people in these phases of life are struggling with TREATABLE symptoms. People think of perimenopause as a time marked by irregular periods but much more than that is happening. It can begin as early …
Tarlov Cysts: Everything You Need to Know
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles What are Tarlov Cysts? Tarlov cysts (a.k.a. perineural cysts) are cerebrospinal fluid-filled sacs found near the nerve roots at the lower end of the spinal canal, most commonly in the sacral spine area (the lower back and tailbone). While it is not known exactly what causes these cysts, they have …
Why Everyone In Menopause Deserves Pelvic Floor PT
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Our muscles are hormonally sensitive structures and weaken over time as we experience hormonal decline. In addition, the prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction rises and the combination of these two scenarios can cause people a fair amount of grief. A recent study showed 95.3% of people with lumbopelvic pain also had …
Symptoms of PFD & the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles As people age, circulating hormones decline and pelvic floor dysfunction rises. The combination of these changes can cause unnecessary suffering and distress. The unfortunate news is that most people do not realize their symptoms may be related to hormonal deficiencies & musculoskeletal issues. However, the good news is both scenarios …
Success Story: How Stacey Recovered from Leaking and UTIs at PHRC
By Emily Eckmann, DPT, PHRC West Los Angeles Stacy’s History Stacy is a woman in her 60s who came to PHRC seeking help for her urinary incontinence that had progressively gotten worse over the last five years. She was eight years into menopause and had seen several gynecologists who did not find ‘anything wrong with her bladder.’ She …
What to Expect at a Prepartum/Postpartum Evaluation
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles During prepartum/postpartum evaluations, a physical therapist will take an extensive medical history. Following the history, the PT will perform a thorough external and internal musculoskeletal exam. Your evaluation should include: Musculoskeletal: An assessment of structure, muscles, tissue, joints and manual evaluation of the pelvic floor muscles. We can identify problematic …
Common Prepartum Symptoms and Their Treatments
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles If you are expecting, plan to be in the future or know someone that is, here are some common Prepartum symptoms! Low back pain- Foot and back pain are due to hormonal and musculoskeletal changes. Studies have shown that 40% to 60% of women will experience back pain during pregnancy and …
Hormonal Prepartum Changes and Postpartum Complaints
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Hormones play a vital role in day-to-day function. They allow for the organs to communicate with each other so that we can filter toxic waste, grow muscle, sleep well . . . . and even grow a human! Let’s take a look at what happens during pregnancy: Estrogen goes up, elevating …
Navigating Mental Health: Strategies for Managing Your Mental Well-Being
By Emily Tran, PHRC Admin, Westlake Village Pelvic pain can be a source of significant stress and anxiety for individuals. Living with chronic pelvic pain can often lead to feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and even depression. It’s important to recognize the impact pelvic pain can have on mental health. Here are a few ways mental health can affect pelvic …
March is Endometriosis Month; Current News and Updates
By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas March is the month where we get to talk about all things Endometriosis. Endometriosis (‘endo’) is an estrogen mediated, inflammatory disease characterized by endometrial-like tissue found outside of the uterus. Most commonly it is found in the abdominal and pelvic cavity, but can be found elsewhere in the body as well. Endo …
Pain Interventions for Labor and Birth With a Partner
By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, Birth Doula When it comes to pain management during labor, most of us think of medical interventions such as an epidural or pain medication. Did you know that there are things that your doula, support person, midwife, partner or even OB can do to decrease pain? When I’m working with patients to help them prepare …
Diastasis Recti : What is It & Who Can it Affect?
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Some people with diastasis recti (DR) also report urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and myofascial pelvic pain. HOWEVER, it is not the presence of diastasis alone that leads to these things. Longer term problems from unresolved DR can (but don’t always) include: back pain poor posture pelvic floor dysfunction …
Birth Control: Reviewing Your Options and Their Differences
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack In a post-Roe world, conversations and questions about birth control options are on the rise. Currently, everyone still has a constitutional right to contraceptives. There are many ways to prevent pregnancy, including oral medications, implantable devices, injectable medications, barrier methods, surgical interventions, fertility awareness, and abstinence. There are advantages and disadvantages for …
Are Oral Birth Control Pills a Cause Of Or Solution For Pelvic Pain?
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC West Los Angeles A frequent question from social media: “I have Vestibulodynia and painful bladder syndrome. I am almost symptom free except for near or during my period. My hormone levels are fine. My urologist prescribed testosterone cream because he found atrophy. At the same time I have another doctor telling me that …
Solutions for Menopausal Women with GSM and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT , Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Most people have not heard of term “Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause” (GSM). One key reason is that the term did not exist until 2014, when leadership societies recognized that menopausal women were suffering from many more symptoms than just ‘vaginal atrophy’ and vaginal dryness. The expanded GSM term more …
Busting Menopause Myths: How the Women’s Health Initiative Changed Women’s Health Overnight
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, , Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles It is common knowledge amongst medical professionals and researchers that it takes an average of 17 years for research evidence to reach clinical practice. In 2002 an event occurred that changed healthcare overnight for menopausal women, affecting over 50 million people at the time. Twenty years later, tremendous confusion …