As a woman, most of your reproductive organs and urinary tract can be intertwined and work together in a lot of ways. This can make it tricky to decipher the cause of a multitude of symptoms you could be experiencing. This also makes it tricky when seeking medical help. Who should you be calling to make an appointment with? The urologist? The Gynecologist?
The reality is, with some symptoms both doctors may be able to help you. However, both urologists and gynecologists have expertise in different fields and in treating different conditions.
Let’s see how each specialist may be able to help and treat you.
The Gynecologist
A gynecologist is going to specialize and focus on your reproductive organs, this includes your vagina, uterus, and ovaries. There are a multitude of conditions that affect the reproductive system that a gynecologist would be best suited for treating.
- Yeast infections – a vaginal fungal infection that comes from an imbalance of the body’s yeast and bacteria. The result of yeast cells multiplying is itching, irritation, and swelling.
- Ovarian or uterine cancers – Cancer in the ovaries or uterus is a result of cells growing abnormally out of control. They can form into tumors that become cancerous.
- Menstrual issues – Thus can include Heavy bleeding, acute menstrual pain, skipped periods, or any other signs of conditions in the reproductive system.
The Urologist
A urology doctor in Dayton, Ohio is going to specialize and focus on treating your urinary tract and the organs involved. This includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. There are a multitude of conditions that affect the urinary tract that a urologist would be best suited for treating.
- Kidney stones – Stones occur when the minerals and salts in the urine form into crystals while in the kidneys. If they become large, stones can lodge in the ureter and cause urine to back up into the organs, resulting in acute pain.
- Overactive bladder – OAB includes a multitude of systems such as urinary frequency, waking up at night to void, and an urge to void that is difficult to suppress. OAB indicates the bladder muscles are contracting before the bladder is full. It can be due to a number of conditions, including urinary tract infections, aging, certain neurologic diseases, and dysfunction of pelvic floor muscles.
- Incontinence – Often treated with overactive bladder, incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine. It is twice as common among women than men.
- Urinary tract infections – UTIs occur when bacteria gets into the urinary tract, potentially leading to an infection in the urethra, bladder, ureter, and kidneys. Sometimes, frequent UTIs are an indication of urinary tract abnormalities such as kidney stones or poor bladder emptying.
- Hematuria – The presence of blood in the urine indicates bleeding from the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra. Although it is not often serious, blood in the urine could be a sign of stones, bladder cancer, or kidney cancer.
Working Together For You
There are a few grey areas where either a gynecologist or urologist could help you treat symptoms or conditions you are experiencing. For example both vaginal prolapse and incontinence could be treated by either specialty.
If you are unsure whether or not you should be seeing a gynecologist or urologist for symptoms you may be experiencing don’t hesitate to contact our urology doctors in Dayton, Ohio. We will always be happy to refer you to a gynecologist should that be a better option for what you are experiencing.