COVID-19 Effects on Pelvic Health
In light of a new normal which most of the world is now feeling, we wanted to take a break from regularly scheduled programming to discuss COVD 19 as it directly relates to your pelvic health care.
This message was quoted directly from the American Physical Therapy Association. “The APTA encourages physical therapists to use their judgment to determine when, where and how to provide care, with the understanding this is not the optimal environment for care, for anyone involved.”
We have made the difficult decision to avoid contact with private patients at this time to do our part in stopping the spread and flattening the curve. Dr. Carly works out of NJ and Dr. Katie resides in FL. At this time, those are the second and fifth leading states of coronavirus in the country. A good resource to watch the changes daily is worldometers.info.
We know that COVD-19 is a respiratory virus that is spread by droplets. That means if someone sneezes or coughs onto a surface, the virus could last several hours to days on that surface if not cleaned properly. Key symptoms have been defined as cough, fever and difficulty breathing. The difficulty in treating during this time lies in the fact that most people do not show symptoms of the virus until 14 days after exposure. Even if you think you are healthy, you could be in the beginning stages and passing the virus to all those you come into contact with. The cases of coronavirus are growing in the US at an alarming rate.
There is not much research on COVID-19 as it relates to pregnancy and breastfeeding. According to the CDC, it is not yet known if pregnant women are more susceptible to the virus and if they can transmit it to their children via breast milk. They recommend good hand hygiene, mask wearing and thorough cleaning of skin, breast tissue and any pumping devices used. As always, consult your medical team for recommendations and symptom screening.
We are staying as up to date as possible on delivery guidelines in our respective states to keep you informed. The most recent NJ and FL legislation on childbirth requires hospitals to allow one designated support person to be with the expectant mother throughout the labor, delivery and immediate postpartum period. This person may be a spouse, sibling, parent or doula. Many doulas with whom we’ve consulted are able to use skype or zoom to provide support to parents while abiding by this legislation. So proud of both NJ/NY and FL for making sure no woman delivers alone during this time.
We understand the hard decisions families and mothers are forced to make at this time. We are here to support you as best we can during this pandemic. Now more than ever, healthcare professionals and mental health specialists are coming together for each other and for our patients. That being said, we are happy to schedule virtual sessions to provide education, exercise prescription and activity management as appropriate. We will get through this and believe our communities will be stronger on the other side.
To greater community and self love,
Dr. Katie & Dr. Carly
