BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Renovia Inc. (“Renovia”), a company dedicated to discovering and delivering first-line digital therapeutic and diagnostic devices for women with pelvic floor disorders, today shared its strong support for new recommendations for screening for urinary incontinence outlined by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (“ACOG”) and the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (“WPSI”).
In May 2018, ACOG released an opinion outlining the need for a comprehensive approach to postpartum care in order to optimize long-term health of mothers. As part of Committee Opinion No. 736, ACOG recommends postpartum care should involve a full assessment of a woman’s physical, social and psychological well-being, including screening for pelvic floor disorders such as urinary incontinence.
Further, WPSI, a national coalition led by ACOG, consisting of 21 health professional organizations and patient representatives, released the first established screening guidelines for detecting urinary incontinence in women in the U.S., recommending routine screening for all women beginning in adolescence. According to the WSPI guidelines, which were published on August 14, 2018, early detection of urinary incontinence symptoms is needed to encourage women to seek viable treatment options.
“The ACOG Committee Opinion and the WSPI screening recommendations are both so well aligned with Renovia’s commitment to awareness and first-line treatment,” said Samantha Pulliam, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Renovia. “Both recommendations support a call-to-action related to female pelvic health, and we are excited for the positive health impact they can have for millions of women who experience urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor disorders.”
Urinary incontinence affects an estimated 20 million women in the U.S.1 and an estimated 250 million women worldwide.2 In addition to its negative impact on quality of life, urinary incontinence can lead to severe medical conditions, such as urinary tract infections and skin ulcerations. Despite its high rates and adverse effects on women’s health, urinary incontinence is often underreported by women and not recognized by clinicians. However, early intervention has been shown to resolve or reduce symptoms, improve immediate and long-term condition-specific quality of life, and limit the need for more invasive and costly treatments.
Jessica McKinney, PT, Renovia’s Vice President of Medical Affairs and Clinical Advocacy, added, “These two strong statements recognize the importance of women’s health issues, particularly pelvic health. Too often urinary incontinence is a silent disorder women are hesitant to discuss. Recommendations from leading organizations like ACOG and the WPSI are critical to bringing these sensitive issues to the forefront.”
Through its proprietary medical device technology and app enabled visualization of pelvic movement, Renovia is developing a product pipeline with the potential to better diagnose and treat women affected by urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor disorders. Renovia’s existing FDA-cleared device, the leva® Pelvic Digital Health System, is indicated for strengthening pelvic floor muscles, and indicated for treating stress, mixed and mild to moderate urgency urinary incontinence in women. The leva device and Renovia’s full product pipeline all leverage state-of-the-art patient-based apps and data management technology to provide precise, cost-effective treatment of weakened pelvic floor muscles in real-time, while collecting actionable compliance and progress data on women’s pelvic health.
About Renovia
Renovia was formed to develop and commercialize products for better first-line diagnosis and treatment to improve the condition-specific quality of life for millions of women with pelvic floor disorders. Renovia's technology enables treatment via precise visualization of pelvic movement in real time during pelvic floor muscle training, while monitoring usage and progress over time. As a women's health organization, Renovia is in pursuit of scalable and cost-effective care for pelvic floor disorders delivered through the power of digital health. For more information, please visit here.
1 Wu, J. M., Hundley, A. F., Fulton, R. G., & Myers, E. R.
(2009). Forecasting the Prevalence of Pelvic Floor Disorders in U.S.
Women. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 114(6), 1278–1283.
2
Irwin D.E., Kopp Z.S., Agatep B., Milsom I., & Abrams P. (2011).
Worldwide prevalence estimates of lower urinary tract symptoms,
overactive bladder, urinary incontinence and bladder outlet obstruction
in British Journal of Urology, 108(7):1132-8.