Urogynecology Shortage in Portland, Oregon: Why Patients Are Facing Long Delays in Care
Patients across the Portland, Oregon metro area are experiencing unprecedented difficulty accessing urogynecology care. What were once reasonable wait times for consultation and surgery have, for many patients, turned into months, or even years, of delay.
This is not simply a local scheduling issue. It reflects a broader regional and national shortage of urogynecologists, compounded by recent system-level changes that have sharply reduced access to subspecialty women’s pelvic health care in Oregon.
What is urogynecology and why access is critical
Urogynecology (also known as Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery) is a subspecialty focused on conditions such as:
Pelvic organ prolapse
Urinary and fecal incontinence
Urinary retention
Childbirth-related pelvic floor injuries
Complex pelvic floor dysfunction
These are medical conditions, not elective or cosmetic concerns. Without timely treatment, symptoms often worsen, leading to increased pain, infections, sleep disruption, reduced mobility, and diminished quality of life.
Access to urogynecology care is essential for long-term health, function, and independence, particularly for postpartum and aging women.
How the urogynecology shortage developed in Portland
The current shortage of urogynecology care in the Portland metro area is the result of several overlapping factors.
1. Retirement of experienced urogynecologists
Over recent years, several highly experienced and well-established urogynecologists in the Portland region have retired. These physicians carried large patient panels and provided a substantial portion of the area’s surgical pelvic floor care.
While retirement is expected in any workforce, the loss of multiple senior subspecialists within a short period, without sufficient replacement capacity, significantly reduced access to care.
2. Closure of large urogynecology practices
More recently, the closure of at least one high-volume urogynecology practice in the Portland area displaced hundreds of patients. Many were already mid-evaluation, awaiting surgery, or scheduled for follow-up care.
Practice closures in a shortage specialty have an immediate ripple effect, overwhelming remaining providers.
3. Abrupt loss of additional surgeons without transition planning
At the same time, experienced urogynecologic surgeons with established records of safe, effective practice were removed from clinical roles due to administrative or contractual decisions. In some cases, these changes occurred without a formal continuity-of-care plan for existing patients.
When clinicians in an already limited specialty are removed abruptly, patient access is further compromised, regardless of the underlying administrative rationale.
4. Insufficient remaining capacity
Following these events, remaining urogynecology providers in the region have been left with waitlists exceeding 500 patients.
Even under ideal circumstances, no single surgeon, or small group of surgeons, can safely absorb this level of demand. For patients, this has resulted in:
Indefinite delays in medically necessary surgery
Difficulty transferring care
Limited or no in-network options
Increased reliance on urgent care or emergency departments
The national shortage of urogynecologists
The challenges in Portland reflect a nationwide shortage of urogynecologists.
Across the United States:
The number of fellowship-trained urogynecologists has not kept pace with population growth and aging
Many regions have only one or two subspecialists, or none at all
Training pipelines are limited, and fellowship positions remain relatively small
Burnout, early retirement, and administrative pressures have further reduced the workforce
Nationally, women’s pelvic floor disorders are increasing in prevalence due to:
Aging demographics
Higher survivorship after childbirth-related injuries
Greater awareness and willingness to seek care
Yet access to urogynecology has not expanded to meet this need.
Why urogynecology shortages are difficult to fix quickly
Replacing urogynecologists is not rapid or simple. The specialty requires:
Fellowship level subspecialty training (four years of medical school, plus four years of residency, plus three years of fellowship training)
Hospital surgical credentialing
Insurance credentialing, which commonly takes 3–6 months or longer, which is necessary for doctors to take insurance
Even when a qualified physician is available, administrative and credentialing timelines delay patient access. As a result, workforce disruptions in urogynecology often lead to prolonged care gaps, not short-term inconvenience.
The real impact on patients
Patients affected by the urogynecology shortage are not abstract numbers. They are individuals living with:
Chronic pelvic pressure or bulge symptoms
Urinary or fecal leakage
Pain and recurrent infections
Sleep disruption and fatigue
Reduced ability to work, exercise, or care for family
For many, the message they receive is not simply “wait,” but “there is no clear path to care.”
Why continuity-of-care planning matters
Healthcare organizations routinely make administrative and contractual decisions. However, when those decisions affect clinicians in shortage subspecialties, continuity-of-care planning becomes a patient safety issue.
Effective transition planning helps:
Protect patients already under care
Prevent prolonged treatment delays
Maintain public trust in healthcare systems
Without it, patients bear the consequences of system-level decisions over which they have no control.
Looking ahead: restoring access to urogynecology care
Addressing the urogynecology shortage in Portland, and nationally, will require:
Acknowledgment of the access crisis
Strategic workforce planning
Retention of experienced subspecialists
Careful transition planning during retirements or departures
Interim solutions that prioritize patient access during credentialing and staffing gaps
Women’s pelvic health care depends on deliberate, proactive planning, especially in subspecialty fields where replacement is neither immediate nor guaranteed.
A message to patients
If you are experiencing delays or loss of access to urogynecology care, know that:
You are not alone
This is a system-level access issue, not a personal failure or a failure of your doctors
Patient and clinician advocacy plays an important role in restoring care
If you are experiencing urgent or worsening symptoms, please seek care through your primary care provider, urgent care, or emergency services.
