New Crouse Health Urologist Developing Pelvic Health Program

After lifetimes of menstruation and childbirth, most women are more stoic about their health problems.

That’s according to Buffalo native Hadley Narins, MD, who brings expertise in women’s pelvic health to the subspecialty program in Female Urology and Pelvic Health she is leading at Crouse.

Although many women remain resigned to having various “female conditions,” awareness about women’s pelvic health needs is increasing. The National Institutes of Health, for example, has found that more than one-third of women in the U.S. have a pelvic floor disorder. Amidst more open discussion today, Dr. Narins offers two key messages.

“Pelvic organ prolapse or urinary incontinence, while common with aging, doesn’t have to be considered an accepted part of aging. There are many treatment options, so that’s my number one message,” Dr. Narins says. “My second message is, if it doesn’t bother you, you don’t have to do anything. Because these are considered benign quality-of-life conditions, any treatment is completely driven by the patient.”

While many pelvic organ prolapse patients are older, Dr. Narins sees women as young as age 18, as well as women in their 20s and 30s, who may have, for example, issues related to childbirth. “The treatment I offer them isn’t fundamentally very different from the treatment I would offer someone a little bit older,” Dr. Narins says.

Few female providers specialize in urology, according to Dr. Narins. “Yet, female patients with urologic concerns, more often than not, want to be treated by a female,” she says, adding that she was always interested in women’s health.

Dr. Narins completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Yale and went on to receive a post-baccalaureate certificate at Bryn Mawr College. She received her medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where she realized she had a passion for the practice of urology.

“I really liked performing surgery,” she said. “I liked being in a surgical subspecialty.” At SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Narins began a general surgery internship before moving on to a formal urology residency. She then pursued a fellowship at Minnesota Urology.

While developing a robust surgical team is important, Dr. Narins emphasizes the full range of options available for women’s pelvic health.

“A huge component of how I manage many of my patients is pelvic floor physical therapy, which can address incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and pain — many types of issues for which women see me.”

Dr. Narins is working with pelvic floor physical therapists to ensure that the Crouse Health network is offering the most up-to-date and advanced treatments within an integrated, patient focused system of care.

>Read more about Hadley Narins, MD, in the November/December 2018 issue of MD News
>Learn more about Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation
>Listen to Dr. Narins on Inspiration for the Nation with George Kilpatrick

Crouse News is reported by members of our Communications Team.