pelvicfloor.com - Mission Statement

Dear visitor,

My name is Dr. Magnus Murphy and I am head of the division of urogynecology at the University of Calgary, Alberta.

Although I started out as a general obstetrician and gynecologist, I became more and more aware of the unmet need regarding pelvic floor disorders through the years. Eventually, after many years of specialized training and focusing my attention on these problems, I became an exclusive sub-specialist in pelvic medicine. I now only deal with pelvic floor disorders, including urinary and fecal incontinence, bladder, bowel or uterine prolapse, painful intercourse, and chronic pelvic pain. Few of these patients understand what is happening, how and why it happened, and what alternative treatment options are available. Often they struggle to understand the foreign concepts, which cannot be fully explained in the few available minutes, and leave the office somewhat bewildered.

Through my years of practice, I have become acutely aware of the need for educating women not only about the existence of the pelvic floor, but also the care of the pelvic floor. Fortunately the increasing emphasis on Women's Health over the last few years has helped, and there are now many medical forums and conferences dedicated to these issues. The various continence societies are also doing a great job in teaching and raising the issues. In spite of this I have found a very low level of awareness. As a result, I decided to start this site, with the hope of doing my part in raising the awareness of the pelvic floor and illustrating some of the more common problems.

To try and increase the profile of the pelvic floor and raise the controversies raised by pelvic floor disorders as they relate to childbirth, I have written a book, in conjunction with Mrs. Carol Wasson, explaining the pelvic floor in detail. The whole idea is to make information regarding pelvic floor disorders accessible and understandable to the average woman. This book will arm women with the knowledge and ability to understand their bodies better and will enable them to ask their health care providers questions regarding proposed or possible procedures and interventions that may be required. The book also delves into the evolution and politics of the childbirth experience and shows why current medical knowledge does not have all the answers. Women are encouraged to become involved in the decisions regarding childbirth and the point is made that an elective preventative cesarean birth may be the right decision for some women. We also argue that women should have the right to choose an elective cesarean birth if that is their wish.

The book is about more than just childbirth however. It would be of equal value to those women who already suffer from pelvic floor problems like incontinence, prolapse (sagging pelvic organs), or pelvic pain. These problems are discussed and illustrated in detail, and the treatment options are discussed thoroughly.

For a long time I've been irritated by consumer healthcare books and publications that seem to dismiss the reader's intelligence. In our book, we strive to arm women with information and courage to make decisions about their body; how they will bring their children into this world, as well as what treatment to demand and expect for pelvic floor disorders. There is no attempt to "whitewash" the problems as I so commonly observe in other books. The facts are given as they are, even if sometimes scary. Mrs. Wasson and I have enough respect for the average women to not dismiss their intelligence with platitudes. This underlying concept, which we insisted on when attempts were made to water down the information in the book, will of necessity make it difficult for some to understand every little detail, especially in the more scientific chapters. Don't despair however; those difficult details are few and are not that important for the average reader anyway. The main arguments are clear and will develop in a powerful visualization of what is going on in the pelvis during and after childbirth and with aging.

I sincerely hope that our efforts will help women in the ways we envision, and look forward to feedback on the bulletin board on this website.

With respect,
Dr. Magnus Murphy