Women in Urology

Urology has historically been a field dominated by male physicians. A 2015 report on physician compensation asked the question, “Which specialties have the most female physicians?” Not surprisingly, urology was at the bottom of the list with only 8% (Ob/Gyn & Women’s Health and Pediatrics were at the top with 50%). Additionally, the 2015 AUA census reported that of the 11,900 practicing urologists in the U.S., only 922 were female.

But the tide is turning and approximately 25% of the people training to be urologists are women. The AUA census also points to a youth movement in female urologists, reporting that roughly 17.2% of female practicing urologists are under the age of 45.

Talking about urgency, leakage, pelvic floor dysfunction, and other issues might be uncomfortable. But it’s the first step toward treatment. Women with urological problems might not know how common — and treatable — they are, which keeps them from seeking proper care.

But help is available.

“I think there are a lot of women who live with these issues and don’t realize there are resources or things they can do to improve their quality of life,” says Priyanka Gupta, M.D., a Michigan Medicine urologist and an assistant professor of urology.

A urologist’s gender shouldn’t prevent a woman from making an appointment, Gupta says. She knows, however, that some patients might prefer to see a female practitioner who understands their issues firsthand.

“There’s a level of comfort,” she says.

That thinking guides her role at the Women’s Urology Clinic at Michigan Medicine. The practice, based at the Livonia Center for Specialty Care in suburban Detroit, treats women of all ages.

Consulting with an experienced female physician may make all the difference to a woman. As awareness of the issues and access to female physicians increases, the stereotypes and misconceptions related to women in the field of urology will diminish. Eventually, we may even be able to correlate improved female urological health with these changes. We will have the female mentors, both past and present, who have influenced these advancements—our real difference makers—to thank for the continuing betterment of how the medical field treats female urologists and, in turn, the impact they have on their patients.

Having more women in the field has increased the conversations around the urological problems that are more prevalent among women. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an example of a common problem that women encounter more often than men, with experts estimating that 43% of women between 14 and 61 years old have had at least one UTI. 

-Dr. Kenneth S Koeneman, MD (Urology Specialist)