Pelvic Organ Prolapse · Treatment

Pelvic Floor Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment in Seoul

Pelvic floor disorders are conditions caused by weakened or damaged pelvic muscles and connective tissue: pelvic organ prolapse, vaginal laxity, urinary incontinence, bowel-emptying problems and related sexual symptoms. Somssi Women's Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul assesses the whole pelvic floor with examination, measurement and ultrasound, then treats it in steps, from supervised pelvic floor training and an EMS device to uterus-preserving native-tissue reconstruction, referring to hospital partners for procedures outside the clinic's scope.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD, OB/GYN specialist, Somssi Women's Clinic · Last updated October 2026

At a glance

Key facts

The essentials, based on how Somssi Women's Clinic performs this procedure or answers this question. Your plan is confirmed at consultation.

• Conditions covered: pelvic organ prolapse, vaginal laxity, stress and urge incontinence, obstructed bowel emptying, pain or reduced sensation with intercourse
• Assessment: pelvic exam, POP-Q staging, vaginal length and wall measurement, pelvic floor strength, pelvic ultrasound
• First-line care: pelvic floor training, EMS Kegel device, lifestyle changes, vaginal estrogen after menopause
• Surgery offered: native-tissue hysteropexy, culdoplasty, posterior colporrhaphy, perineal reconstruction; no mesh
• Surgery time and stay: about 1 hour; same-day discharge
• Beyond our scope: slings, sacral neuromodulation and complex fistula surgery are coordinated with hospital partners
• Led by: Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD, member of the Korean Society of Urogynecology

What are pelvic floor disorders?

The pelvic floor is a hammock of muscle and connective tissue stretched between the pubic bone and the tailbone. It holds up the bladder, uterus, vagina and rectum, keeps the urethra and anus closed, and contracts during sex. When it is stretched, torn or weakened, several problems can appear together, and doctors group them as pelvic floor disorders.

The main ones are pelvic organ prolapse (the uterus, bladder or rectum dropping into the vagina), urinary incontinence, bowel problems such as needing to press on the vagina to empty, vaginal laxity with reduced sensation or air trapping, and pelvic pain. Somssi Women's Clinic is a surgical gynecology clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, founded in 2000 and led by Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD, and pelvic floor problems in women after childbirth and menopause are the center of our work.

Who should be assessed?

• You feel a bulge, heaviness or dragging in the vagina, especially late in the day.
• You leak urine when you cough, laugh or exercise, or you cannot reach the toilet in time.
• You feel you never empty your bladder or bowel completely, or you need to press on the perineum to pass stool.
• The vagina feels wide or loose, traps air or water, or intercourse has lost sensation.
• You have recurrent vaginitis or odor from secretions pooling in a widened canal.
• You had a difficult or large-baby delivery, several births, a forceps delivery or a significant tear, even if it was years ago.
• You are past menopause and symptoms have appeared or worsened as tissues have thinned.

Many women wait years because they assume these changes are a normal part of aging. They are common, but they are treatable, and early assessment keeps more options open. Our guide How Do I Know If I Have Pelvic Organ Prolapse? describes the warning signs.

How Somssi assesses the pelvic floor

A first visit takes about an hour. Dr. Yoon takes a history of births, surgery, bladder and bowel habits, menopause and sexual function, then examines you lying down and while bearing down. We record the position of the cervix and both vaginal walls (POP-Q staging from 0 to 4), measure total vaginal length and wall thickness, and test the strength of the pelvic floor contraction. A pelvic ultrasound checks the uterus, ovaries and tubes so that fibroids, cysts or adenomyosis are not missed.

We also screen for stress incontinence and overactive bladder, look at the perineum and vaginal opening, and check the cervix and for vaginitis. If the findings suggest a problem outside our field, such as a fistula or a neurological cause, we arrange the right investigation with a hospital partner before any treatment is planned.

Treatment options, from least to most invasive

Pelvic floor training and lifestyle

For mild prolapse, mild stress incontinence and early laxity, supervised pelvic floor exercises are the first step. We teach the correct contraction and may recommend an EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) Kegel device that contracts the muscles for you. Treating constipation, stopping smoking, losing weight and avoiding heavy lifting all reduce the load on the pelvic floor. After menopause, local vaginal estrogen can thicken the tissue and ease irritation.

Pessary

A vaginal support ring can hold a prolapse in place and is a reasonable choice for women who are not ready for surgery or who should avoid it. It needs regular cleaning and checks, and some women find it uncomfortable or get discharge. We fit, review and remove pessaries; see Vaginal Ring (Pessary) Removal and Pessary vs Surgery for Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

Native-tissue reconstructive surgery

When exercises are not enough, usually because the muscle layer has thinned to a few millimeters, Dr. Yoon reconstructs the pelvic floor through the vagina with your own tissue. The components are chosen to fit your findings: hysteropexy and culdoplasty to lift and fix a descended uterus and close the cul-de-sac; posterior colporrhaphy in which the back-wall mucosa is peeled to under 1 millimeter, the pelvic floor muscles are gathered and sutured, and the wall is closed in a second layer; figure-8 strengthening of the muscles at the opening; and perineal reconstruction. The anterior wall and urethra are left untouched. Surgery takes about an hour under sedation with same-day discharge, and intercourse resumes after 7 to 8 weeks. Details are on the pelvic reconstructive surgery page.

What we coordinate with hospital partners

Some pelvic floor treatments are hospital procedures. A mid-urethral sling for moderate to severe stress incontinence, sacral neuromodulation for overactive bladder that has not responded to medication, complex fistula repair, and surgery for stage 3 to 4 prolapse that needs an abdominal or mesh-based suspension are examples. We assess, explain the options and refer or coordinate so you are not left to navigate the system alone. See Urinary Incontinence Treatment and Neuromodulation.

Anesthesia, duration and hospital stay for surgery

Reconstructive procedures at the clinic take about 50 minutes to one hour under sedation plus long-acting local anesthesia, or local alone if you prefer. There is no overnight stay; you walk soon after waking and leave once you have urinated.

Recovery timeline after reconstructive surgery

Conservative programs are reviewed at 6 to 12 weeks to decide whether to continue or move to the next step.

Results and what to expect

Outcomes depend on which disorder you have and how advanced it is. Pelvic floor training helps many women with mild symptoms but rarely reverses established prolapse. Native-tissue reconstruction typically removes the bulge and heaviness and eases emptying; the clinic reported a 2026 series of 150 women with prolapse in which 85.3% described improved quality of life, which is the clinic's own figure rather than an independent trial. Stress incontinence may need its own procedure, and results for every treatment vary with age, tissue quality and lifestyle.

Risks and how we reduce them

• Conservative care: few risks; a pessary can cause discharge, irritation or, rarely, erosion if neglected.
• Surgery: bleeding, infection, rectal or cul-de-sac injury, pain with intercourse, over- or under-correction, altered sensation, recurrence and anesthesia reactions. We reduce these with careful measurement, shallow dissection, two-layer closure, no mesh and realistic selection of who is suitable.
• Missed diagnosis: treating laxity when the real problem is a prolapse, or the reverse, leads to disappointing results, which is why the assessment is thorough.

Why international patients choose Somssi

You can discuss your symptoms in English, often by message before you travel. The clinic has been registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare for foreign patients since 2011 and recognized as a Seoul Medical Tourism cooperation clinic since 2016, and it is 100 meters from Gangnam Station Exit 1. Dr. Yoon has studied pelvic floor dysfunction and sexual function for more than 25 years and presented that work at ISSWSH, WAS and ESSM meetings. See international patients or contact us.

Questions patients ask

Frequently asked questions

Short, honest answers. For anything personal, a consultation is the right place to ask.

See the full FAQ →

What is the most common pelvic floor disorder?

Pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence are the two most common, and they often occur together. Many women also have vaginal laxity and bowel-emptying difficulty that they never mention to a doctor. At assessment we look for all of them, because treating one while ignoring another usually leaves symptoms behind.

Can pelvic floor disorders be fixed with exercise alone?

Early, mild problems often improve with correct pelvic floor training, especially with supervision or an EMS device. Once the muscle layer has thinned to a few millimeters or the uterus has dropped, exercise maintains what is left but rarely restores support. We tell you honestly which situation you are in after measuring.

Do I need to see a urologist or a gynecologist?

Pelvic floor disorders sit between the two fields, which is why urogynecology exists. Dr. Yoon is an OB/GYN specialist and member of the Korean Society of Urogynecology who assesses the whole pelvic floor. When a urology procedure such as a sling or sacral neuromodulation is the right answer, we coordinate with hospital partners.

Does childbirth always cause pelvic floor damage?

No, but it is the biggest single factor. Large babies, long second stages, forceps and significant tears raise the risk, and the damage may only show years later when menopause thins the tissue. A cesarean reduces but does not remove the risk, because pregnancy itself loads the pelvic floor.

Will treatment help my sex life?

It often does. Restoring vaginal tone and lifting a low-lying cervix removes two common causes of discomfort and reduced sensation. Dr. Yoon's published research examined sexual function after pelvic floor repair, but sexual response involves hormones, relationship and mood too, so we discuss expectations candidly.

How do I prepare for a first visit from abroad?

Send a summary of your symptoms, births, previous surgery and any ultrasound or clinic reports through our contact page. We will tell you whether you seem suitable for treatment here and roughly how long to stay. Bring any prior operation notes with you; they change the plan more than anything else.

Keep reading

Related treatments and guides

• How Do I Know If I Have Pelvic Organ Prolapse? — symptoms and self-checks
• Can Pelvic Organ Prolapse Be Treated Without Surgery? — exercise, pessary and lifestyle options
• What Are the Different Types of Pelvic Organ Prolapse? — which organ has dropped
• Pelvic Organ Prolapse Treatment in Korea for Foreigners: Complete Guide — planning a visit
• Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery — the native-tissue operation
• Urinary Incontinence Treatment — leakage assessed and treated
• Vaginoplasty (Vaginal Tightening Procedure) — when laxity is the main complaint

Sources and medical review

• International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) / International Continence Society (ICS) — joint report on terminology for female pelvic floor dysfunction.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — guidance on pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence in women.
• Yoon HJ. Perineal plastic surgery (colpoperineoplasty) and female sexual function. Korean Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2005;48(6).
• Te Linde's Operative Gynecology (textbook) — anatomy and surgery of the pelvic floor.

Next step

A consultation first. A decision only when you are ready.

Tell us what you are experiencing and what you hope to change. Dr. Yoon examines, measures and explains the options, including when no surgery is the right answer. International patients can start with an online consultation before travelling to Seoul.