The June issue of the International Urogynecology Journal is now available! Don't miss out on the latest news and research in the international field of urogynecology!

Click here to find out more about the journal.

If you are a member of IUGA, click here to access the journal.

If you are not a member of IUGA, click here to join!

Join Dr. Steven Swift (USA) and Dr. Katya Miles (UK) for the June IUGA Webinar! Topics in this webinar will include:

 - Impact of COVID- 19 to urogynaecology services during lockdown
- How COVID- 19 will shape urogynaecology services moving forward
- Looking after our own wellbeing
- Finding balance between work and wellbeing

REGISTER NOW

Greetings from my home office in the UK! The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly changed our daily lives, not to mention how we are practicing medicine and caring for our patients. For those of you who have been reassigned to treat COVID patients, our heartfelt thanks. And to all, thank you for your dedication to your patients. Whether you have been asked to take on additional tasks, return to obstetrics, or are working to continue patient care from a distance, our patients rely on us for their healthcare needs during this very uncertain time. Professionalism at its best has emerged at all levels: our trainees, medical students, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, pharmacists, paramedics and porters to mention a few. I am proud to be a tiny cog in this truly outstanding professional response.

Like most organizations, IUGA has had to “pivot” during the pandemic to address new concerns and continue our usual services. I sincerely hope we have continued to meet your membership needs! This pivot has included opening the IUGA Academy, providing a guidance document on care during the pandemic, and thinking outside the box when it comes to our Annual Meeting, which is being reformatted into a virtual meeting. At the beginning of April, we opened the IUGA Academy to all healthcare practitioners to make sure online urogynecology education is widely accessible, especially at this time when so many educational opportunities have been postponed or altogether cancelled. Over 600 people requested guest accounts in the first 2 weeks! Members can log in to the IUGA Academy per usual; others in the community can complete an online form to receive guest access to our stellar online educational offerings. We have put together guidance for continued patient care during the pandemic as well, which can be found here. Thank you to all the authors who contributed on very short notice especially Maura Seleme, Chair of the Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Special Interest Group for so generously sharing some fantastic videos on pelvic floor muscle exercises. The guidance document is also available in Portuguese, thanks to Jorge Haddad and colleagues, as well in Japanese, courtesy of the Japanese Society of Physical Therapy Section on Women’s and Men’s Health. I am also particularly proud of our multilingual patient information leaflets (www.YourPelvicFloor.org) which have been very useful in my clinical practice. 

There has never been a time in which the mental health and wellbeing of our community needs to be at the forefront of our activities than now. We know many of you have been called upon to treat COVID-positive patients and have been stretched to the limit. Social distancing is taking its toll, especially on the extroverts among us! The pandemic in general has increased anxiety for many. I am therefore pleased to announce that IUGA has a newly formed Wellness and Mindfulness Special Interest Group (SIG), chaired by Debjyoti Karmakar, who brings passion and enthusiasm to this topic. Be sure to read the Spotlight article on this new SIG and join today! I know I am looking forward to some mind-calming activities!

Healthcare professionals have received a lot of attention during the pandemic, and it is truly due to those on the front lines. But did you know that 2020 is also the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife? These colleagues work tirelessly beside us but often do not receive the recognition they deserve. Let’s show them how much their support and work mean to us! I’m asking all physician members to submit a short (10-20 second) video of you naming and thanking your nurse and midwife colleagues. Or send us their picture and your note of thanks (be sure we have their permission to use their name and photo please!). Submissions will be used to create a special video thank you for our colleagues to cap off this special year of recognition. Submissions may be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and should be received by August 15.

In a world that is changing daily, you can count on IUGA to be a constant. Our organization remains stable, and though our ways of work may have shifted for now, we remain focused on our mission and our members. Don’t forget to share the good you see occurring in the world on social media using the hashtag: #IUGAKindness. Relation to medicine is not required! 

On reflection, this pandemic has taught me a lesson in life: We need to focus our energy into what we can do rather than what we cannot!

Keep safe!

With IUGA Kindness,

Ranee Thakar
President

Join the IUGA Across the World Challenge! Bike, run, walk, or swim your way to a discount to the IUGA Annual Meeting in 2021! To find out more, including how to register, click here.  Registration closes June 21, so don't delay!

Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS) is a form of chronic pelvic pain. It is defined by persistent or recurrent chronic pelvic pain, pressure or discomfort perceived to be related to the urinary bladder accompanied by at least one other urinary symptom such as an urgent need to void or urinary frequency. It is diagnosed in the absence of any identifiable pathology which could explain these symptoms. Interstitial cystitis with Hunner lesion has the same symptoms as BPS but it is identified based on cystoscopic findings. Chronic pelvic pain is a complex condition that can have multiple causes. Sometimes a single disorder may be identified as the cause. In other cases, however, pain may be the result of several medical conditions. The most important priority must be to achieve international agreement on terminology, definitions and diagnostic criteria on BPS and differential diagnoses.

We are seeking 5-6 volunteers (including a Chair) to serve on a Writing Group to help establish standardized terminology for Female Bladder Pain Syndrome and to define related terminology. This will be a joint publication with AUGS.

To find out more and to apply to become a member of the Writing Group, click here.

The May issue of the International Urogynecology Journal is now available! Don't miss out on the latest news and research in the international field of urogynecology!

Click here to find out more about the journal.

If you are a member of IUGA, click here to access the journal.

If you are not a member of IUGA, click here to join!

Are you ready to take your involvement in IUGA to the next level? We are accepting nominations (including self-nominations) for the elected positions listed below now through 11:59pm CDT on August 10, 2020. The term for each of these positions will begin January 1, 2021.

Board of Directors
Vice President – 2-year term, then ascends to President
Treasurer – 2-year term, renewable once

International Advisory Board (IAB)
European Representative – 3-year term, non-renewable
Northern American Representative – 3-year term, non-renewable
Latin America & Caribbean Representative - 3-year term, non-renewable

Committee Chairs
Scientific Committee Chair – 2-year term, non-renewable
Terminology and Standardization Committee Chair – 2-year term, renewable once

Nominating Committee
Nominating Committee Member-at-Large (2 members) – 2-year term, non-renewable

Scientific Committee
Scientific Committee Member (5 members) – 3-year term, renewable once

Nomination Process
As specified in the by-laws, the Nominating Committee will receive all nominations, will review them and will present the proposed nominees at the IUGA Annual Business Meeting in September.  Nominations will also be taken from the floor during the Annual Business Meeting. The Nominating Committee may add additional nominees if it is considered by the Committee to be in the best interest of the association.

Nominations may be submitted by any IUGA member in good standing, including the nominee him or herself. A member may be a candidate for only one position. Those making nominations are asked to reflect on the qualifications related to the position for which they are nominating themselves or a candidate. Qualifications for each position are listed below.

Self-nominees should submit the materials listed below when they submit their self-nomination. The IUGA Office will contact all other nominees to 1) confirm they are interested and willing to stand in the election and 2) to request the materials below.

Nomination Materials

• CV
• Position Statement/Statement of Interest in the elected position noting experience relevant to the position
• Photo (which will be posted online during the voting period)
• Disclosure Form

Nominations, including self-nominations, must be submitted to the IUGA Office, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by 11:59pm CDT on Monday, August 10, 2020.

Qualifications for Open Positions

Vice President

• Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
• Previous significant contribution to IUGA (e.g., chairing the Annual Meeting Local Organizing Committee) AND/OR participation on the Advisory Council (Committee Chairs, International Advisory Board representatives, IUJ editors)
• Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of past 5 years
• The duties of the vice president are to:
  • Succeed the president upon the completion of the president’s term
  • Perform, in the absence of the president, all the duties and have all the powers of the president
  • Aid the president in the organization of the association and may serve as the president’s proxy for running meetings
  • Perform such other duties as shall be assigned by the Board of Directors
  • Supervise all committee chairs

Treasurer

• Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
• Previous significant contribution to IUGA (e.g., chairing the Annual Meeting Local Organizing Committee) AND/OR participation on the Advisory Council (Committee Chairs, International Advisory Board representatives, IUJ editors)
• Proven ability to read financial statements (example – head of department involving budget management)
• Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of the past 5 years
• The duties of the treasurer are to:
  • Ensure that sound financial records are kept, that sound financial practices are in place, that appropriate financial reports are provided on a regular basis to the board and that necessary band account for the association’s funds are established.
  • Serve as the primary contact with the Executive Office in the development of a budget for the Board’s consideration.
  • Submit a financial report to the membership of the association for its review at the association’s Annual Business Meeting.

International Advisory Board Representative

• Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
• Be a resident in the region to be represented
• Demonstrated commitment to IUGA and evidence of leadership/involvement in the development of urogynecology in the region
• Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of past 5 years
• The duties of IAB members are to:
  • Meet with and counsel the Board of Directors
  • Serve as a member of the IUGA Membership Committee
  • Initiate symposia and other educational activities in their respective home region

Committee Chairs

• Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
• Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 2 of past 3 years
• Active member of committee with significant contribution (i.e., subcommittee chair, working group/project chair)
• The duties of the committee chairs are to guide the work of their committee so that it achieves its mandate and achieves its statues annual objectives

Nominating Committee Member-at-Large

• Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
• Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of the past 5 years
• The duties of the Nominating Committee are to: Prepare and submit to the Board of Directors at each Annual Meeting nominations for each elected office

Scientific Committee Member

• Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
• Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of past 5 years
• The duties of the Scientific Committee members are to: o Advise on Annual Meeting program content o Judge abstract submissions in a blinded fashion

The Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee is comprised of the president, immediate past president, two elected members, and one member appointed by the president. The current members of the Nominating Committee are:

• Lynsey Hayward, Chair (Immediate Past President)
• Ranee Thakar (President)
• Heinz Kölbl (Member-at-Large)
• Tsia-Shu Lo (Member-at-Large)
• Anna Rosamilia (Appointed)

Timeline

Nominations will be accepted May 11 – August 10, 2020. Candidates will be announced, and nominations taken from the floor, during the Annual Business Meeting in September. Online voting will be conducted October 1-30, 2020 with election results announced in November. If one candidate for a particular position does not receive a majority (over 50%) of the vote, a run-off election will be conducted November 4 – December 4, with the results announced the second week of December.

We know that in this uncertain time that there is an extra stress on us all. IUGA wants to help our members by promoting wellness and mindfulness and providing tools to help preserve and promote their mental health and well being.

Join the new Wellness and Mindfulness Special Interest Group today by logging into your Member Profile and choosing the Special Interest Groups box to find out more!

The April issue of the International Urogynecology Journal is now available! Don't miss out on the latest news and research in the international field of urogynecology!

Click here to find out more about the journal.

If you are a member of IUGA, click here to access the journal.

If you are not a member of IUGA, click here to join!