Urogynecology and COVID-19: What You Should Know

There’s not a single person whose life hasn’t been completely upended by COVID-19: parents, employees, students, essential service workers, and of course, patients and healthcare providers.

The challenge of COVID-19 is that what we know about it is constantly changing, which can make it hard to determine our “new normal.” 

Since our state has been hit hard, Dr. Peter Khamvongsa and his dedicated team here at the Miami Institute of Urogynecology and Minimally Invasive Surgery continue to provide in-person care — with the strictest safety precautions in place — and telehealth services when necessary.

Here’s some info on what urogynecology actually is, and how we are able to safely provide care in the time of COVID-19.

What is urogynecology?

Urogynecologic care is a special subset of overall gynecological and obstetrics care. It specifically addresses women whose problems include:

• Urinary incontinence
• Urinary urgency
• Fecal incontinence
• Vaginal fistulas (when your vagina is connected to another organ like the bladder or rectum)
• Rectovaginal fistulas (an abnormal connection between your rectum and vagina)
• Pelvic floor prolapse (when reproductive organs drop into or completely out of your vagina due to lack of support from weakened muscles and tissues) and other pelvic dysfunction

What urogynecologic care are you providing in the time of COVID-19?

Vaginal and urinary health issues shouldn’t wait.

Dr. Khamvongsa is providing in-person diagnostic exams and procedures like cystoscopy, a procedure where he uses a small tube equipped with a camera to look at your bladder’s lining and your urethra. 

He’s also still performing hysteroscopies and laparoscopies to examine your uterine and pelvic issues respectively. This includes fertility problems, endometriosis, and fibroids. Dr. Khamvongsa is also offering urodynamic testing, which checks for problems that may affect your urinary abilities. 

How has your office made urogynecologic care safe during COVID-19?

Our approach to treating patients is now centered around the conviction that you can’t go overboard with safety protocols. 

We specifically looked to the Florida Medical Association for guidance on COVID-19 best practices, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the Florida Department of Health Guidance (FDOH). 

These reputable and trusted entities offer critical guidance for healthcare. We’re providing our services with the following precautions in place:

• We screen all individuals, whether patients or staff, for COVID-19 symptoms, and ask about recent travel exposure to the virus.
• We request that you reschedule your appointment if you were diagnosed with COVID-19 or were around someone who may have had the virus or tested positive in the previous 14 days.
• We ask you to reschedule if you’ve traveled internationally over the last 14 days.
• We request that you reschedule your appointment if you’re experiencing cough, fever, or other symptoms.

When you arrive at our office, we will ask you these questions and take your temperature. Then we immediately ask that you wash your hands and then take you to a room. 

To minimize the risk of exposure to anyone in our building, we require those who accompany you to your appointment to either wait downstairs or in their vehicle rather than being present in the examination room. 

These rules apply to all patients. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us for care

Your safety and well-being is our top concern, and it’s why we’ve structured our protocols as we have. Please don’t delay needed care, whether it’s a routine screening or  an appointment for a urogynecologic problem that has just arisen. 

Call our office at 786-220-8664 and we’ll walk you through how things will go during your appointment. You can also request an appointment by using our online booking tool.