Allied Health Professionals Session – IUGA Barcelona 2025

The Allied Health Professionals Session at IUGA Barcelona 2025 was conceived with the aim of showcasing the integral role of allied health professionals in advancing urogynecological and pelvic floor care worldwide. Together with my co-moderator, Angela Rantell, I had the privilege of organizing a session that reflected the growing scientific, clinical, and leadership contributions of physiotherapists and allied professionals within IUGA. 

The program was structured to provide a comprehensive and evidence-based perspective across the female life course. Key themes included innovation in assessment and rehabilitation, conservative management of pelvic floor dysfunctions, and interdisciplinary models of care. Presentations addressed functional pelvic floor training using ultrasound, nonpharmacological conservative therapies for chronic pelvic pain, and evidence-based exercise strategies during pregnancy and postpartum.

A global perspective was central to the session. A multidisciplinary panel discussion brought together international experts from Europe, Asia, and Oceania, fostering meaningful dialogue on current challenges, best practices, and future directions for allied health involvement in urogynecology. Additional sessions addressed postpartum pelvic girdle pain, sexual function and dysfunction, obstructed defecation, and the physiotherapy-led management of overactive bladder, reinforcing the breadth of allied health expertise.

This session underscored the essential role of allied health professionals as leaders in evidence-based practice, education, and innovation. The strong engagement and high scientific standard reflected IUGA’s continued commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and to strengthening the visibility and impact of allied health professionals within the global urogynecological community.