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Dr. Jones: Today, we're going to do "Seven Questions for a Specialist", and our specialist on the hot seat is Dr. Whitney Hendrickson. Thanks for being with us, Dr. Hendrickson.
Dr. Hendrickson: Thanks for having me.
#1: What Was the One Thing That Made You Choose This Career?
Dr. Hendrickson: So the patients, I love the patients. Just that the patient population and you get to follow them and you're really improving their quality of life. And the surgery that we do is very specific, but it also allows for creativity, which I really enjoy.
#2: What's the Most Common Problem That You See?
Dr. Hendrickson: For me, because I do research in overactive bladder and urge incontinence, I probably see mostly that problem. And then the second common would be pelvic organ prolapse.
#3: Where Is The Pelvic Floor?
Dr. Hendrickson: At the bottom of your pelvis. So it's basically that bowl that holds everything in. So it encircles your urethra, your vagina, and your rectum.
#4: What Percent of Women Have A Problem with Their Bladders?
Dr. Hendrickson: About 30% of women over the age of 30 have this problem. And by the time you reach 65, anywhere between 50% to 65% of women have overactive bladder.
#5: What's the One Thing That Women Should Do to Strengthen Their Pelvic Floor?
Dr. Hendrickson: So Kegel exercises or trying to pull in or up that pelvic floor is important. But you should also work on strengthening your hips, your gluteus muscles, your back, and your abdominal muscles. Those are all part of your core and all important to strengthen together.
#6: What's the One Thing That Women Shouldn't Do To Their Bladders?
Dr. Hendrickson: Oh, people should go to the bathroom regularly. So don't try and hold your urine. If you feel like you have to go, then that's your body telling you it's time to go.
#7: Is Having to Pee All the Time Just in Your Mind?
Dr. Hendrickson: No, no. Having to go all the time is a very complex problem. So it involves the bladder, the bladder muscle, the nerves that connect the bladder to the spinal cord, the spinal cord, and the brain. So all those things have to work, or one of those things can get out of whack, and then you can get an overactive bladder.
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SEVEN QUESTIONS FOR A SPECIALIST