When age-related hormonal changes started giving you lighter, less frequent periods, you probably figured that the years-long menopause process might eventually trigger hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, sleep problems, and mood symptoms.
What you may not have counted on, however, was how the so-called “change of life” would affect your vaginal health and sexual wellness.
Fortunately for you — and your sex life — menopause doesn’t get to have the final word. At Cosmetico MedSpa in Munster, Indiana, or Orland Park, Illinois, board-certified physician Dr. Nidal Hasan and our team are proud to offer MonaLisa Touch® laser therapy, an innovative treatment that restores vaginal elasticity, moisture, and function in just three quick sessions.
Here, we discuss one of the most common menopausal symptoms, vaginal atrophy, and explain how our painless, noninvasive solution works to reverse the problem naturally.
You may know that estrogen plays a vital role in regulating your menstrual cycle and making pregnancy possible. But did you know that this key female reproductive hormone also helps maintain vaginal tissue health — from normal elasticity and acidity to optimal lubrication?
As your estrogen levels dwindle, your vaginal tissues lose moisture and elasticity, leaving them considerably thinner, drier, and more delicate than before.
For many menopausal and postmenopausal women, persistent vaginal dryness is actually a symptom of vaginal atrophy (atrophic vaginitis), a chronic inflammatory condition that can give rise to many bothersome — and life-affecting — vaginal and urinary symptoms.
The term genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is often used to discuss vaginal atrophy and its various interconnected symptoms, including:
Vaginal dryness is the most common symptom of GSM and is usually the first to appear. Aside from causing ongoing irritation, abnormally dry vaginal tissues can give rise to uncomfortable burning or itching sensations that are hard to alleviate.
Dry, delicate vaginal tissues are less lubricated than normal, healthy tissues. They’re also less likely to respond with a normal lubricating response during arousal, making sexual intercourse uncomfortable, painful, and possibly traumatic for your tissues, which may tear and bleed.
The same hormonal changes that dry out your vaginal tissues can undermine your urinary tract, too, causing urinary incontinence (UI), or the involuntary leakage of urine. UI may take the form of a sudden urge to urinate that can’t be controlled, or it may involve leaking a bit of urine when you cough, laugh, exercise, or have sex.
GMS also makes chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) more likely, causing you to experience burning, frequent, or urgent urination that requires medical treatment. While most UTIs affect the lower urinary tract (urethra and bladder), lingering or recurrent infections may spread to your kidneys.
Until recently, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and lifestyle changes were the only way to address or alleviate menopause-related vaginal dryness. The trouble is, hormone therapy isn’t a safe option for everyone, and lifestyle changes aren’t always effective enough.
Luckily, ongoing advances in therapeutic laser technology have delivered a safe, noninvasive way to deal with vaginal atrophy without having to take estrogen or simply resign yourself to using messy lubricants: it’s called MonaLisa Touch vaginal restoration.
When we insert the slim MonaLisa Touch applicator into your vaginal canal, the laser emits gentle, uniform pulses of fractional CO2 energy into the surrounding tissues. This painless energy creates “microscopic injuries” that actively stimulate the production of fresh collagen, glycogen, and hyaluronic acid to help restore key elements of healthy vaginal tissue.
On top of renewing your vaginal tissues, reversing vaginal dryness, and supporting improved sexual wellness, MonaLisa Touch laser therapy also prompts the formation of new collagen, elastin, and vascularization in your urethral tissues for improved urinary control.
After three 20-minute treatments spread over a few short weeks, MonaLisa Touch can successfully stop vaginal atrophy, reverse its effects, and restore normal vaginal function for most women.
Are you ready to enjoy intimacy again? We can help. Call Cosmetico MedSpa office in Munster, Indiana, or Orland Park, Illinois, today, or click online to schedule a visit with Dr. Hasan any time.
