You have been putting off that urology appointment for months. Not because you are not worried, but because the idea of discussing bladder leaks or pelvic pain with a male doctor you have never met feels like one barrier too many. That hesitation is completely valid, and you are far from alone in feeling it.
Comfort matters as much as credentials when it comes to urological care. When you feel at ease with your doctor, you share more, ask better questions, and follow through on treatment. The challenge is that Los Angeles is not a single, simple medical system. It is a network of hospital affiliations, insurance tiers, and subspecialty practices spread across nearly 500 square miles, where a urologist listed online may turn out to be out-of-network at the hospital where they operate, focused on a different condition than yours, or running a high-volume schedule that leaves little room for a thorough first visit.
The good news is that once you know what to look for, the noise becomes much easier to filter through. This guide gives you a clear, honest breakdown of the female urologists working in Los Angeles, what to look for in their credentials and practice setting, and three specific things you should ask before your first appointment.
Here is exactly what you will learn: the critical difference between a female urologist and a female urology subspecialist (and why confusing the two can affect your treatment), a condition-by-condition guide to which LA provider is the right fit for your situation, and what to expect from your first appointment so you walk in prepared, not anxious.
Female Urologist vs. Female Urology Specialist: Why the Difference Matters for Your Care
Most women searching for a “female urologist in Los Angeles” do not realize they are actually searching for two different things. The first is a female physician who practices general urology. The second is a doctor who has completed additional fellowship training in the subspecialty formally known as Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, or FPMRS.
This distinction is not just academic. If you are dealing with stress urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, or complex pelvic floor dysfunction, an FPMRS-certified subspecialist has completed two to three years of training beyond urology or gynecology residency specifically focused on those conditions. A general urologist, even a highly skilled one, may not have that depth of reconstructive surgical experience.
The American Urological Association recognizes FPMRS as a distinct subspecialty with its own board certification pathway. That certification signals a specific level of expertise in pelvic reconstruction, neuromodulation for overactive bladder, and minimally invasive anti-incontinence procedures.
On the other hand, if your concern is recurrent UTIs, kidney stones, bladder cancer screening, or hematuria, a board-certified female urologist without FPMRS subspecialty training is an entirely appropriate fit. Knowing which category your condition falls into is the first step toward choosing the right doctor. A few Los Angeles practices, including Tower Urology, are structured so that women can access both general female urology care and FPMRS-level subspecialty expertise within the same group, which simplifies referrals if a condition turns out to be more complex than it first appeared.
What does a female urologist specialize in?
A female urologist is a physician who completed a five-year urology residency and is board-certified by the American Board of Urology. She treats the full spectrum of urological conditions in both men and women, including kidney stones, bladder infections, urinary tract infections, bladder cancer, and voiding dysfunction. Many female urologists in Los Angeles also develop focused expertise in women’s health concerns such as overactive bladder, stress incontinence, and sexual health, even without formal FPMRS subspecialty certification.
What is the difference between a urogynecologist and a female urologist?
A urogynecologist is an OB-GYN who completed additional fellowship training in FPMRS, while a female urologist with FPMRS training is a urologist who completed the same fellowship from the urology side. Both are board-eligible for the same FPMRS subspecialty certification.
The practical difference lies in their surgical backgrounds: urogynecologists approach pelvic reconstruction from a gynecologic perspective, while urologist-trained FPMRS specialists bring a broader urologic surgical skill set.
A small number of physicians, like Dr. Paige Kuhlmann at Tower Urology, are dual-trained on both sides — a urology residency followed by a urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery fellowship, which combines both perspectives in a single clinician. For conditions involving both the bladder and pelvic organs, either can be excellent, and the best choice often depends on the doctor’s experience with your specific condition.
Which Female Urologist in LA Is Right for Your Condition?
Female urology encompasses six distinct categories of conditions, each potentially requiring a different type of specialist. Matching your condition to the right doctor is the single most important step before booking.
The right doctor depends on what you are actually dealing with. Here is a condition-by-condition breakdown to help you match your situation to the right type of specialist.
1. Urinary Incontinence and Bladder Control
Stress Incontinence: Leakage when coughing, sneezing, or laughing. This is the core territory of FPMRS subspecialists. Fellowship-trained female urologists in Los Angeles practice both within large academic medical centers and in private group settings.
A patient we worked with at Tower Urology came in after seeing two other urologists who had both recommended surgery for stress incontinence without discussing pelvic floor physical therapy first. After a thorough evaluation, we started her on a structured physical therapy program. Within 12 weeks, her leakage episodes had decreased by more than 70 percent, and she avoided surgery entirely.
Urge Incontinence/Overactive Bladder (OAB): Sudden, intense urges to urinate.
Voiding Dysfunction: Difficulty emptying the bladder or urinary retention. A board-certified female urologist can evaluate and manage voiding dysfunction through urodynamic testing and targeted treatment.
Nocturia: Waking up at night to urinate, which can significantly disrupt sleep and quality of life.
2. Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP)
Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when pelvic organs (the bladder, uterus, or rectum) drop or shift out of place due to weakened supporting muscles. Conditions include cystocele (dropped bladder), rectocele, and uterine prolapse. This requires an FPMRS subspecialist or a urologist with significant reconstructive surgical experience.
Robotic-assisted Sacrocolpopexy, the gold-standard surgical repair for apical prolapse, is available at Cedars-Sinai and UCLA Health, and at private practices with Cedars-Sinai affiliations such as Tower Urology, where Dr. Kuhlmann and Dr. Rusnack perform robotic and laparoscopic prolapse repair. Ask any surgeon you consult how many robotic prolapse repairs they perform per year.
3. Chronic Pelvic Pain and Bladder Conditions
Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome): Chronic pain and pressure in the bladder area that significantly affects daily life and intimacy.
Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): Specialized care for women experiencing multiple infections per year. Dr. Rusnack and Dr. Kuhlmann at Tower Urology see a high volume of women with recurrent UTI patterns and can order cystoscopy, urine cultures, and imaging to identify structural or behavioral contributors that primary care physicians often miss.
Urethral Syndrome/Diverticulum: Structural or functional issues affecting the urethra that cause pain, pressure, or recurrent infections.
4. Reconstructive Surgery and Complications
Reconstructive surgery encompasses surgical repair to restore pelvic anatomy, correction of fistulas (abnormal connections between the bladder or rectum and vagina), removal or repair of vaginal mesh from previous surgeries, and minimally invasive approaches utilizing robotic-assisted or laparoscopic techniques.
These procedures require an FPMRS subspecialist with significant reconstructive surgical volume. Within Tower Urology, Dr. Kuhlmann’s urogynecology training and Dr. Rusnack’s laparoscopic and robotic surgical background mean that women dealing with mesh complications, fistula repair, or revision surgery can be evaluated by surgeons whose practices focus on this area.
5. Female Sexual Health
Sexual health concerns are a frequently overlooked reason women seek urological care. A female urologist is well-positioned to evaluate and treat conditions at the intersection of pelvic health and intimacy, including painful intercourse (dyspareunia), pelvic floor dysfunction affecting sexual function, genitourinary syndrome of menopause (vaginal dryness and discomfort), urinary leakage during sex, and concerns related to prior pelvic surgery or trauma. Many women normalize these symptoms for years without knowing that effective, targeted treatment exists.
In Los Angeles, only a handful of female urologists treat sexual medicine and menopause-related urinary symptoms as a dedicated focus rather than an add-on. Dr. Kuhlmann at Tower Urology is one of them, with a clinical interest in female sexual wellness, menopause management, and the urinary changes that often accompany hormonal shifts.
6. General and Specialized Urological Issues
Kidney Stones: Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. A general female urologist is the right starting point. Imaging, ureteroscopy, and stone management do not require FPMRS training.
Neurogenic Bladder: Bladder dysfunction caused by neurological conditions like Multiple Sclerosis or spinal cord injuries.
Hematuria: Blood in the urine, which requires prompt evaluation to rule out serious underlying causes.
Consider this scenario: Chelsea, a woman in her late 40s in West Hollywood, had been managing what she thought were frequent UTIs for two years, treated repeatedly by her primary care doctor with antibiotics. When she finally saw Dr. Rusnack, a female urologist at Tower Urology in Los Angeles, Dr. Rusnack performed a cystoscopy to determine the source of the problem.
After two long years, Chelsea was finally told the real issue was an overactive bladder with urge incontinence, not an infection at all. The right specialist, with the right diagnostic tools, changed her entire treatment path within a single appointment.
What to Expect at Your First Appointment with a Female Urologist in Los Angeles
Your first appointment will include a detailed medical history review, a physical examination, and, at a minimum, a urinalysis. The doctor will ask about your symptoms in specific terms, including frequency, urgency, episodes of leakage, and any pain.
You may be asked to keep a bladder diary for a week before or after the visit. Diagnostic tests ordered at or after the first visit may include urine culture, bladder ultrasound, urodynamic testing, or cystoscopy, depending on your symptoms. Most patients leave the first appointment with a working diagnosis and a clear next step.
One thing patients at Tower Urology consistently tell us: they were surprised by how much time the doctor spent listening before ordering any tests. That is intentional. A thorough symptom history often points directly to the diagnosis before a single test is run.
Many women delay seeing a urologist for months or even years because they assume their symptoms are “just part of aging” or feel embarrassed bringing them up. In reality, conditions like urinary incontinence, recurrent UTIs, and pelvic pain are extremely common and often highly treatable once properly evaluated.
What are the benefits of seeing a female urologist in Los Angeles?
The most frequently cited reason women seek a female urologist is comfort with examinations and discussions of sensitive symptoms. Research consistently shows that patient comfort correlates with more complete symptom disclosure, which directly affects diagnostic accuracy. Women who feel embarrassed or rushed are less likely to mention sexual health concerns, bowel symptoms, or the full extent of their leakage, all of which are clinically relevant.
Beyond comfort, many female urologists in Los Angeles have built practices specifically oriented around women’s health, meaning their diagnostic protocols, treatment options, and referral networks are calibrated for female anatomy and female-specific conditions. That focus translates into faster diagnosis and more targeted treatment.
There is also a practical communication benefit. Female urologists who have treated thousands of women with incontinence or pelvic floor dysfunction have heard every variation of “I thought this was just normal aging.” They are positioned to challenge that assumption and offer treatment options that genuinely improve quality of life.
Meet the Female Urologists at Tower Urology
Once you have ruled out subspecialty mismatches, three things tend to separate a strong female urology practice from a serviceable one: relevant fellowship training, a hospital affiliation that matches the level of care you may need, and a multi-physician group structure that gives you continuity if your needs change. Tower Urology meets each.
As a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center affiliate, its urologists have met the same credentialing standards as the top-ranked academic programs nearby. As a multi-physician group, it offers built-in second opinions and continuity of care if your condition evolves. Two female urologists on staff together cover the full range of women’s urological care.
Dr. Susan Rusnack, MD brings more than two decades of experience focused on women’s urological health, including incontinence, recurrent UTIs, and voiding dysfunction. She is board-certified by the American Board of Urology and fellowship-trained in laparoscopic and robotic surgery, with particular emphasis on minimally invasive pelvic floor reconstruction. She has been recognized multiple times with the Compassionate Doctor Recognition and the Patients’ Choice Award. She is a well-known female urologist who provides compassionate care and considers it critical to explain and educate patients about their urologic issues.
Dr. Paige Kuhlmann, MD is one of the few dual-trained urologist and urogynecologist subspecialists practicing in Los Angeles. Her practice focuses on female pelvic health and sexual medicine, with clinical interests in reconstructive pelvic surgery, pelvic organ prolapse repair, stress and urge incontinence, menopause management, and female sexual wellness.
Pairing Dr. Kuhlmann’s subspecialty depth with Dr. Rusnack’s broader experience in female urology provides Tower patients with continuity of care, from routine bladder care to complex reconstructive surgery, without changing practices.
Frequently Asked Questions about Female Urologists
How do I find a female urologist in Los Angeles who accepts my insurance?
The most reliable method is to start with your insurance carrier’s online provider directory, filter by specialty (urology) and gender, and then call the practice directly to confirm that the specific doctor you want to see is still accepting new patients under your plan. Insurance directories are frequently out of date. When you call, also ask whether the practice bills for any services outside your plan, such as certain diagnostic tests or procedures, so there are no surprises after your visit.
What conditions do female urologists treat that are different from general urology?
Female urologists treat the full scope of urological conditions but often develop particular depth in areas specific to female anatomy: stress urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, recurrent urinary tract infections, pelvic organ prolapse, interstitial cystitis, and female sexual dysfunction including pain with intercourse related to urological causes. These conditions are underdiagnosed in general practice because many women normalize symptoms or feel uncomfortable raising them. A female urologist with a focus in women’s health is specifically trained to screen for and treat this cluster of conditions.
Is it better to see a female urologist for pelvic floor problems?
For pelvic floor problems, the most important credential is FPMRS subspecialty training, regardless of gender. Many women prefer a female urologist with FPMRS training for the combination of subspecialty expertise and the comfort of a physician who shares their anatomy. In private practice in Los Angeles, that combination is uncommon. Dr. Kuhlmann at Tower Urology, with both a urology residency and a two-year urogynecology fellowship, is one example.
Do female urologists in Los Angeles offer telehealth consultations?
Several female urologists in Los Angeles do offer telehealth for initial consultations, follow-up visits, and medication management. However, telehealth cannot replace an in-person pelvic examination, urinalysis, or cystoscopy, so most new patients will need at least one in-person visit for diagnosis. Practices vary significantly in their telehealth policies, so call ahead and ask specifically whether your first appointment can be conducted virtually and what the in-person requirements will be for your condition.
