Meet Dr. Carrie Aisen

Dr. Carrie Aisen completed her undergraduate education at Stanford University, medical school at the Colombia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and residency training at Columbia University Medical Center New York Presbyterian Hospital. She practices urology in San Diego, Calif.

Dr. Carrie is an esteemed urologist and an active medical advisor to Uqora.

Here, get to know more about her expertise, common patient scenarios she manages and a few personal details about herself!

I really liked the wide range of problems that urologists see and treatment options that we have to offer. I can see a dozen patients with similar complaints and each one may end up with a different treatment plan based on their goals and preferences. Many of the issues in urology are things patients are nervous or embarrassed to talk about but have such an impact on their life. I like that I have the chance to make people feel more comfortable with their issues and help improve their quality of life so much. I didn't particularly struggle with urinary health issues myself but thanks to my pregnancies I can empathize with my patients who complain of urinary frequency and waking up all of the time at night.

Every day is so different! Urology is a specialty that includes medical and surgical treatments for the genitourinary tract (kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, prostate and genitalia) and I take care of patients in the hospital and in my office. Some days I spend the whole day in the operating room for scheduled elective cases treating issues including urinary dysfunction, kidney stones and cancer. Others I am in the office seeing new patients, following existing patients, and doing office procedures for everything from vasectomies, prostate biopsies, bladder instillations and cystoscopies (using a camera to look into the bladder). There are plenty of days when one thing was scheduled but an emergency comes up in the hospital so my schedule is rearranged while I rush to the hospital to take care of a patient.

As a general urologist I take care of patients with a wide range of problems including urinary tract symptoms, kidney stones, sexual dysfunction, and genitourinary cancers. However one area that I have been particularly interested in since my research in residency is recurrent urinary tract infections.

As I mentioned above, I am particularly interested in recurrent urinary tract infections. Particularly, I hope to see more research in alternatives to antibiotic use. Another area that I hope to see more research in is improved methods for determining which patients have prostate cancer that needs to be treated. Historically men with any prostate cancer were usually treated but more recent research suggests that there are many prostate cancers that will never cause the patient any problems. This area of research has the potential to help minimize the risks of over testing and over treating while allowing us to provide important treatments to patients who will benefit.

First, it is important to know you are not alone in your suffering. Many patients present embarrassed to even talk about their symptoms and they are so happy just to hear that their problems are incredibly common. Knowing that I see many patients with their exact situations makes them feel better even before we start talking about treatments. Second, there is no one size fits all approach to treatment. Many of the issues with urinary health are bothersome but not dangerous to one's health. For those issues the goal is symptom management so it is incredibly important that the plan is tailored to that patient. Along that line, it may take several tries to find a plan that works and there may be set backs or flare ups along the way. The key is to keep working on finding a treatment plan that makes the patient as happy as possible and for the doctor and patient to keep working together. Third, there are some urinary symptoms that may be part of a larger medical issue or having an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. For example recurrent urinary tract infections can be caused by kidney stones or an inability to empty the bladder. It is always best to talk to your doctor about any symptoms you are having or if your symptoms undergo a sudden change (remember my first piece of advice and never be embarrassed to talk to your doctor about your problems!).

Uqora helps me with my goal to reduce my patients' recurrent UTIs while limiting antibiotic use as much as possible. Antibiotics have side effects, cause antibiotic resistance and can cause an increase in symptomatic UTIs when overused. I try to empower my patients with information and resources and they really like the information that Uqora shares about it's product ingredients and how they work. Uqora is especially helpful because it has different components to the regimen that can be tailored to each patient's needs.

I love getting outside with my husband and two children. My favorite place to go is the beach but anywhere that lets me enjoy the amazing southern California weather makes me so happy. In more normal times I also enjoy seeing friends, trying new restaurants (and going to favorite places), and going to the farmers market.

Read more from Dr. Carrie at the Uqora Medium channel where she focuses on UTIs and antibiotic research.