Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (Urogynecology)

The Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, also known as Urogynecology, provides expert care for a wide variety of female pelvic diseases. We diagnose and offer non-surgical and surgical treatments for conditions related to pelvic organ prolapse, bladder/bowel control, pelvic pain, sexual disorders, childbirth injuries and post-cancer survivorship. In the clinic and operating room, we offer a full range of evidence-based surgical therapies.

One out of every three women will experience a pelvic floor disorder in her lifetime. Too often, women think that they simply have to live with the pain, embarrassment, and discomfort caused by these conditions. Our medical teams know this is not the case; many of these conditions are in fact treatable. Scripps Clinic Medical Group’s Urogynecology providers are highly skilled medical practitioners and surgeons who have undergone years of fellowship training and hold board certifications that enable us to provide expert consultation and individually tailored care plans. We pride ourselves in offering holistic therapies, be it lifestyle changes, complementary treatments, pelvic muscle rehabilitation, nutritional counseling or assistance from mental health experts. We work closely with colleagues in gastroenterology, colorectal surgery, urology, obstetrics, oncology and more to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to our patients’ care.

Our physicians are meticulous surgeons with additional training in a wide variety of minimally invasive surgical procedures, from vaginal procedures to robot-assisted laparoscopic surgeries (belly-button surgery through small incisions). Additionally, our teams practice modern Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) techniques to ensure patient recovery is quick, with minimal use of opioids. Our singular focus is on providing patients with world class care during and after surgery.

Bruce Kahn, MD

Varuna Raizada, MD

Kerrie Adams, MD

Shea Shovlin, PA

Featured Services

  • Diseases that we treat:

    ○ Urinary incontinence (leaking of urine)

    ○ Fecal incontinence (passing of gas or stool involuntarily)

    ○ Pelvic floor dysfunction (weakening of pelvis muscles)

    ○ Pelvic organ prolapse (dropping of uterus, bladder, rectum, or intestine)

    ○ Pelvic pain

    ○ Overactive bladder symptoms

    ○ Voiding disorders such as urinary retention

    ○ Chronic urinary tract infections

    ○ Painful intercourse

    ○ Childbirth injuries.

  • Diagnostic procedures

    ○ Cystoscopy (looking inside the bladder)

    ○ Urodynamic studies (study of bladder function)

  • Surgical procedures

    ○ Hysterectomy

    ○ Vaginal suspension surgery

    ○ Sacrocolpopexy

    ○ Sling surgery

    ○ Injection of bulking agents

    ○ Botox in the bladder

    ○ Neuromodulation

    ○ Biofeedback

    ○ Botox in pelvic floor

    ○ Repair of fistula

    ○ Genital repair following child-birth injuries

    ○ Vaginal reconstruction

    ○ External genital surgeries

Recognitions & Awards

  • Scripps has been designated the #1 provider of Gynecology services in San Diego

● Our clinicians are involved in regional clinical trials pertaining to pelvic muscle function

● 2020 Quantifying Ureteral Displacement with Uterine Mobilization During Laparoscopic Hysterectomy Using Indocyanin Green (ICG) Fluorescence Endoscopy

● 2018 Essentials in Minimally Invasive Gynecology (EMIG) Manual Skills Pilot Construct Validation Study.

● 2017 The LEADERSHIP 301 Trial: A 12-Week, Randomized, Multi-Center, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, 3-Arm, Parallel-Group, Phase 3 Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of 2 Doses of AQX-1125 Targeting the SHIP1 Pathway in Subjects with Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome Followed by 14 or 40-Week Extension Periods

● 2016 Preemptive oral versus intravenous acetaminophen for postoperative pain in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery: A Double-Blind Randomized Control Trial.

● 2016 A Phase 2a, Biphasic Adaptive Design Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Multi-Center Single Dose Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of URG101 Compared with the Individual Components Lidocaine and Heparin in Subjects with Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome

● 2015 A Double-blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of AMDC-USR with Placebo in Female Subjects with Stress Urinary Incontinence

● 2013 A Prospective, Non-Randomized, Parallel Cohort, Multi-center Study of the Solyx™ Single Incision Sling System vs. the Obtryx™ II Sling System for the Treatment of Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence

● 2013 A Prospective, Non-Randomized, Parallel Cohort, Multi-center Study of Uphold LITE vs. Native Tissue for the Treatment of Women with Anterior/Apical Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

PUBLICATIONS
The following include the most recent five years’ publications from the Division. For full publications, please visit the SCMG Research page linked below.

White, A, Kahn, B, Gonzalez, R, Rosamilia, A, Anger, J, Eilber, K, Schaffer, J. Prospective Study of a Single Incision Sling vs. a Transobturator Sling in Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: 3 Year Results, In press. Amer J Obstet Gynecol, 2020.

Woo, JJ, Kahn, B. Improving the Utility of the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) Database: Using Categorization of Device events to compare Uterine Endometrial Ablation Devices. Abstract presentation: AAGL Global Congress on MIGS, November 2019.

Luskin, K., Kahn, B., White, A. Hereditary Alpha Tryptasemia and Interstitial Cystitis (poster presentation). May 4, 2019, American Initiative in Mast Cell Disease. Stanford, CA.

White, A, Kahn, B. Anger, J, Schaffer,J. A . A prospective parallel cohort multi-center study of the Solyx single-incision sling system vs. the Obtryx II sling system for the treatment of women with stress urinary incontinence: Patient-reported outcomes at 3 years. J Urology, 201(4S):e63-64, May 2019

White, A, Kahn, B. Yang, G, Schaffer,J. A Prospective Parallel Cohort, Multi-center Study of the Solyx Single Incision Sling System versus the Obtryx II Sling System for the Treatment of Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: 3 Year 522 Results. Poster Presentation, Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU). March 1, 2019, , Miami, FL.

White, A, Kahn, B. Yang, G, Schaffer, J. A Prospective Parallel Cohort, Multi-center Study of the Solyx™ Single Incision Sling System vs. the Obtryx™ II Sling System for the Treatment of Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: 3 Year Results Abstract presentation. Fem Pelvic Med & Recon Surg. 24(5S):39, September/October 2018

Brown, A., Kahn, B. Enhanced recovery pathways in gynecologic surgery. Contemporary Ob/Gyn: 63(4);18-22, April 2018. http://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/modern-medicine-feature-articles/enhanced-recovery-gynecologic-surgery

Kahn, B. Lombardi, T. “Interstitial cystitis: simplifying management.” Contemporary Ob/Gyn: 61(5); 14-18, May 2016. http://contemporaryobgyn.modernmedicine.com/contemporary-obgyn/news/interstitial-cystitis-simplified-diagnosis-and-treatment

Kahn, B. “Urogynecologic Interventions.” Audio-Digest Family Medicine. 64; 17, May, 2016, ISSN 0271-1362

SEE ALL SCMG RESEARCH