Season 2 · Episode 1

Embarrassing Bodies: Pelvic Floor

Dr Christian Jessen and Dr Pixie McKenna – the nation’s favourite doctors for those toes curling embarrassing conditions are back – and now they’re joined by A&E Doctor, Dr Priya Manickavasagar and leading cosmetic Dentist, Dr James Russell – between them they’ve got every orifice covered. This week’s episode starts with a visit to the clinic for 21-year-old Rebecca. She’s always had noticeably asymmetric breasts (in common with many women in the UK) but pregnancy has accentuated this problem and left her with a severe imbalance. Dr Pixie sends Rebecca to a specialist to see if anything can be done to rectify the problem. The specialist performs a surgical procedure to give Rebecca more balanced and symmetrical breasts. Next through the clinic doors is Mark, who’s firing on all cylinders – but unfortunately he’s firing blanks. As a long-term diabetic, Dr Christian suspects this might be connected with his erectile problems, but first sends him for a check-up on his prostate. Tests reveal that damage to nerves is causing a condition called retrograde ejaculation, where the semen is entering his bladder instead of leaving through the end of the penis. In our truck stop Dr Christian sees a case of neuroma, an overgrowth of nerve tissue that is benign, but can be removed surgically if necessary, whilst Dr Pixie sees a patient who is suffering from keloid scars, which are sadly too far developed to be treated effectively. There’s also a case of a birthmark on the tongue, and an instance of melasma that has lead to an overgrowth of pigment on the patients face. Pixie recommends make-up to start with, before considering lazer treatment in the future. Dr Christian next sees a young lady suffering from one of the most common conditions that Doctors see – warts. Luckily Christian is able to freeze the warts off in the surgery, and with some home treatments she should be able to keep them under control herself. Our Dentist Dr James has a visit from a patient with an artistic streak, but her teeth are anything but picture perfect. Heavily decayed, her teeth need to be crowned and reshapen if she’s to recover her sparkle. After removing the decay and creating custom veneers, Dr James gives his patient a reason to smile again. Next up is Brigitte who’s comes to see Dr Pixie with a big problem. She thinks that she has an excessively large vagina that has remained even though she has lost a substantial amount of weight. Dr Pixie examines Brigitte and diagnoses her with a vaginal prolapse and excess skin around the vagina. After a visit to a specialist, Brigitte is told that there is no quick surgical fix for her problems and further examinations must be done. The doctors hit the streets of Birmingham to talk to locals about the perils of weak pelvic floor muscles and recommend exercises and remedies to regain control over these important muscle areas. The doctors persuade a group of 3 women to road test 3 different techniques for strengthening their Pelvic Floors – with some surprising results. The products tested included a Pelvic Toner, a Pelvic Floor Exerciser and Pelvic Cones. Dr Priya meets her first patient, Peter, who’s suffering from urinary incontinence after the removal of his prostate due to cancer. He’s been wearing pads and taking medication to control the symptoms, but nothing seems to be effective. Dr Priya sends him to a specialist where the consultant inserts a pump to give Peter control of his bladder with the push of a button. This week’s body check sees our guinea pig group checking their feet for early signs of an embarrassing illness, whilst Dr Pixie and Dr Priya talk to them about what they can do about athlete’s foot, corns and flat feet. And finally, the doctors put their own bodies on the line to take the fear out of simple tests. This week, Dr Pixie undergoes the latest test for HIV that reveals results instantly.