Appointments
Pelvic floor
COVID-19 and you pelvic floor appointment
Your appointment may change from a face-to-face visit to a telephone or video call. In some cases we may cancel or reschedule your appointment.
We'll contact you to let you know if we need to make a change to your appointment.
Some patients may be discharged back to their GP and we'll write to tell you.
If you have not heard from us within 3 days of your scheduled appointment, please contact us.
How to get an appointment
Your GP or another health professional can refer you.
Changing your appointment
- Phone: 020 7188 8875
- Email: [email protected]
Before your appointment
Please bring:
- a list of medicines you're taking
Telephone assessment
Once you've been referred to us a pelvic floor specialist will call you. We'll aim to call you at the appointment time. We may call up to 30 minutes before or after. Please have your phone close to you during this time.
We'll ask you questions about your health, your symptoms and your personal circumstances, and advise you on the next steps.
You may be referred for tests straight after your telephone assessment. We'll send your appointment details in the post.
During your appointment
Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment. You should allow at least 2 hours for your appointment.
You'll see a doctor or specialist nurse. You may see more than one member of staff during your appointment.
We'll check your health and might do some tests that could include:
- endo-anal ultrasound, a scan to show the structure of the muscles in your bottom
- anorectal physiology, tests to assess the strength of the muscles in your bottom
- defecating proctography, shows how your bottom functions when pooing
- transit studies, a special X-ray that looks at how quickly poo passes through your bowel
- perineal and vaginal ultrasound, gives an overview of your pelvic floor and to see surface and deep pelvic structures in more detail
None of these tests are painful and they are no more uncomfortable than being internally examined by your doctor. You'll be told exactly what is going to be done and what to expect.
If you need surgery, you may have a pre-operative assessment appointment on the same day. Please make sure that you allow time for this.
After your appointment
We'll send a letter to you and your GP with details of what we talked about.
If you have further tests after your appointment, we'll review your results and let you and your GP know the next steps. This could include:
- further tests
- discharge back to your GP for any further care
- a follow-up appointment with our service
- an appointment in our biofeedback clinic where we'll give you exercises to improve your pelvic floor muscles and a treatment plan to improve your symptoms
- referral to another doctor or health specialist
- being added to our surgical waiting list
Last updated: November 2023
