{"id":64,"date":"2025-05-21T08:56:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T22:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/volume-01-2025\/?p=64"},"modified":"2026-10-28T14:28:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T04:28:44","slug":"different-paths-one-purpose-highlights-from-the-ages-and-ugsa-pelvic-floor-symposium-melbourne-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/november-2026\/different-paths-one-purpose-highlights-from-the-ages-and-ugsa-pelvic-floor-symposium-melbourne-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Different Paths, One Purpose: Highlights from the AGES and UGSA pelvic floor symposium, Melbourne 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1>\n\t\t\tDifferent Paths, One Purpose: Highlights from the AGES and UGSA pelvic floor symposium, Melbourne 2026\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t<h3>What happens when you bring together gynaecological surgeons, urogynaecologists, obstetricians and pelvic health experts under one roof? Plenty of spirited discussion, fresh perspectives and, as it turns out, a lot of common ground!<\/h3>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>The inaugural AGES &amp; UGSA Combined Pelvic Floor Symposium, held at Crown Promenade in Melbourne from 23-25 July 2026, marked an exciting first for both societies. Under the fitting theme &#8220;Different Paths, One Purpose,&#8221; the meeting celebrated the value of collaboration across specialties, with a shared commitment to improving outcomes for women.<\/p>\n<p>Conference Co-Chairs A\/Prof Erin Nesbitt-Hawes and Dr Alexandra Mowat, together with their organising committee, delivered a diverse scientific programme that balanced cutting-edge innovation with practical clinical challenges and some thought-provoking controversy.<\/p>\n<p>The international faculty certainly gave delegates plenty to think about. Dr Alex Digesu from Imperial College London explored the exciting potential of stem cells in pelvic floor medicine, alongside advances in bladder control and contemporary reconstructive surgery. Professor Katy Vincent from the University of Oxford brought a refreshing perspective to pelvic pain, challenging us to think beyond anatomical pathology and consider why pain may persist despite technically successful surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Surgical enthusiasts were well catered for, with sessions exploring apical suspension, uterine preservation, native tissue repair and the ever-evolving management of stress urinary incontinence. Meanwhile, discussions around menopause, sexual function, multidisciplinary pelvic pain management and patient selection reinforced the importance of treating the whole patient, not simply the pathology.<\/p>\n<p>There was no shortage of controversy either! The debate on whether universal caesarean delivery could be the holy grail of obstetric pelvic floor protection tackled a particularly contentious question. Sessions examining surgical myths, postoperative recovery and emerging technologies, including AI, registries and telesurgery, encouraged delegates to challenge traditional thinking.<\/p>\n<p>The pre-congress workshops were another highlight, offering an impressive range of hands-on learning opportunities. From vaginal surgery and urodynamics to multidisciplinary pelvic pain management, there was something for everyone. A dedicated robotic surgery workshop provided the unique opportunity to experience four different robotic platforms in one day.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting also showcased emerging research and surgical ingenuity. Congratulations to Madeleine Smith, winner of Best Free Communication for work on persistent pelvic pain and urinary symptoms; Elliot Mackenzie, recognised for a vNOTES-assisted sacrospinous ligament suspension video; and Mayumi Raheem, whose study of ultrasound diagnosis of adenomyosis won Best Digital Communications Presentation.<\/p>\n<p>As usual, the conference dinner was a particular highlight with both societies demonstrating questionable moves on the dancefloor.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, this inaugural symposium demonstrated just how much we stand to gain by stepping outside our individual specialties. Different perspectives, shared expertise and a willingness to challenge the status quo made for a compelling programme and, hopefully, the beginning of a wonderful ongoing collaboration between AGES and UGSA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Different paths, indeed, but very much one purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/november-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/05\/Dr-Keryn-Harlow.jpg\" alt=\"Dr Keryn Harlow\" height=\"351\" width=\"300\" title=\"Dr Keryn Harlow\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Dr Keryn Harlow<\/strong><br \/>MBChB, DipObs, FRANZCOG<br \/>Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand, Waitaha, Canterbury<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ultimately, this inaugural symposium demonstrated just how much we stand to gain by stepping outside our individual specialties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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