The Record Special Sections Health Quarterly 02-16-2020 | Page 5

NORTHJERSEY.COM ❚ SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2020 ❚ 5
HEALTH QUARTERLY / ADVERTISING SECTION
Did You Know
That Heart Disease
Is Preventable?
VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM
Calling All Women: Have
You Heard of Urogynecology? A
Valley Physician Focuses on Female Pelvic Disorder
T
here is
a female-
focused field
of medicine
that you may not
have heard of and
it’s called urogyne-
cology. We recently
had a conversation with Cristina Saiz,
MD, FACOG, medical director, Female
Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive
Surgery (urogynecology), Valley
Medical Group, about the field of uro-
gynecology and the important role
that urogynecologists play in helping
women to maintain their health and
quality of life.
Q. What is urogynecology?
A. Urogynecology, which is also
known as female pelvic medicine and
reconstructive surgery, is the medical
subspecialty exclusively dedicated
to the treatment of women with pelvic
floor disorders.
To become a urogynecologist, we
must complete a four-year residency
program in obstetrics and gynecology,
and then undergo an additional three-
year fellowship training program where
we learn to manage pelvic floor disor-
ders. Once our training is complete,
we take a comprehensive exam in order
to become board-certified in urogyne-
cology.
Q. What are pelvic floor disorders?
A. The pelvic floor is a term we
use to describe the muscles, ligaments
and connective tissue that provide
support for a woman’s internal organs
(including the bowel, bladder, uterus,
vagina, and rectum).
Not only does the pelvic floor
prevent these organs from falling
down or out, but it also plays a very
important role in making the organs
function properly. When a woman’s pel-
vic muscles are weak or she develops
tears in the pelvic connective tissues,
she is considered to have a pelvic floor
disorder.
Q. What is pelvic organ prolapse?
A. Pelvic organ prolapse occurs
when there is weakness or damage to
the normal support of the pelvic floor,
which results in a herniation of the
vaginal wall. In these situations, the
vaginal walls can no longer support the
pelvic organs and a protrusion through
the vaginal opening develops. The pel-
vic organs include the bladder, cervix,
uterus, bowel and rectum.
Q. How common is pelvic organ
prolapse and what causes it?
A. It is estimated that nearly 50 per-
cent of all women between the ages of
50 and 79 have some form of prolapse.
Women who have given birth and/
or those who are overweight are at a
higher risk for developing pelvic organ
prolapse.
Q. What are the symptoms of pel-
vic organ prolapse?
A. Common complaints associated
with the condition include a bulging,
pressure or heavy sensation in the
vagina that worsens by the end of the
day or during bowel movements; many
women describe the feeling as if they
are “sitting on a ball.”
Urinary frequency or the sensation
of being unable to empty the bladder;
difficulty starting to urinate; the need
to lift up the bulging vagina or uterus
to start urination; urinary incontinence
(leaking) could be present, as well.
Q. Do these disorders impact
a woman’s quality of life?
A. Unfortunately, these disorders
can impact a woman in many different
ways.
Many women who have pelvic floor
problems are reluctant to discuss them
with anyone or are embarrassed to
acknowledge that they have a prob-
lem, even to themselves. But the truth
of the matter is that these problems
can have a very significant impact on
your quality of life. We know that it can
undermine your sense of well-being
and self-worth, and your ability to live
your life the way you want.
After experiencing these problems,
women may begin to stop exercising
or participating in physical or social
activities, which can further reduce
health and quality of life.
Work activities, travel and intimacy
also may suffer as a result. This is
because, despite it being a common
condition, women often don’t feel com-
VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM
Cristina Saiz, MD, FACOG, medical
director, Valley Medical Group
fortable talking about it. It’s still a big
“taboo.”
Q. Are there treatments available
for these disorders?
A. Yes, there are a variety of
non-surgical and surgical treatment
options available to patients.
In my practice, I take a very indi-
vidualized approach to caring for my
patients. I believe it’s crucial to take
a patient’s personal preferences into
account when making any treatment
decisions. As such, when a patient
comes to see me, I discuss the treat-
ment options that are best suited to
that patient’s specific needs — both
clinically and personally.
Dr. Saiz is a certified robotic surgeon
and specializes in minimally invasive uro-
gynecologic procedures. She holds a dual
board certification in obstetrics & gyne-
cology and in female pelvic medicine and
reconstructive surgery (urogynecology).
A native of Spain, Dr. Saiz is fluent in
Spanish.
To make an appointment with Dr. Saiz,
call 201-221-0504.
Cleveland Clinic survey finds that although
heart disease is the leading cause of death for
men and women in the United States, Americans
don’t recognize that it is preventable. Fortunately, 90
percent of heart disease is due to modifiable/control-
lable risk factors. “This means that heart disease is
largely preventable and controllable by addressing
treatable risk factors and making lifestyle changes,”
explains Gerald Sotsky, M.D., director, Valley/Cleveland
Clinic Affiliation and chair, Cardiac Services, Valley
Medical Group.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
state that key factors for heart
disease include high blood
pressure, high cholesterol,
and smoking. Believe it or not,
about half of Americans (47
percent) have at least one
of these three risk factors!
The CDC also lists the follow-
ing medical conditions and
lifestyle choices that can also
VALLEY HEALTH
put people at a higher risk for
SYSTEM
heart disease:
Gerald
Sotsky,
MD,
! Diabetes
director,
Valley
! Overweight and obesity
/Cleveland Clinic
! Poor diet
Affiliation and chair,
! Physical inactivity
Cardiac Services,
! Excessive alcohol use
The Cleveland Clinic survey Valley Medical Group
found there’s also a lot of confusion on what steps to
take to prevent heart disease — and when. For example,
! 80 percent don’t know the proper time to start
getting their cholesterol tested is in their 20s.
! 29 percent mistakenly believing that a low-fat diet
is healthiest for your heart.
! Only 19 percent know that the Mediterranean diet
is the most heart-healthy diet.
! More than half (58 percent) misguidedly believe
that taking an aspirin a day is a good way to prevent
heart disease.
“The first step in prevention is to know your risk for
heart disease,” explains Dr. Sotsky. “To help our com-
munity stay healthy, our Heart and Vascular Institute
offers a free, comprehensive risk assessment Cardiac
Screening Program for women and men between the
ages of 20 and 79.”
The assessment includes a medical history; blood
pressure screening; heart auscultation to evaluate
heart rate, rhythm and presence of murmur; lung
auscultation; peripheral vascular pulse assessments;
evaluation of lipid profile and blood glucose level; bio-
metrics (BMI, waist measurement, body fat analysis);
and AHA Heart and Cardiovascular Risk Score.
Valley Health System is an affiliate of Cleveland
Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute.
To make an appointment for a cardiac screening,
call 201-447-8535.
Need a cardiologist? Call 1-800-VALLEY-1 (1-800-
825-5391) to make an appointment.