Menopause is often a time of great freedom for many women, a time when worries that typically attach to the reproductive part of your life vanish. Your children are grown and on their own, and it’s a time when many couples reconnect and rediscover each other. It’s not a time when you want intimacy to become painful.
While it’s not a problem for everyone, changes to vaginal lining can develop after menopause. In some cases, these changes are enough to create conditions that affect sexual performance and even urinary function.
Dr. Carrie L. Morris and the team at Radiance Wellness MediSpa recommend the FemTouch™ laser from Lumenis® for patients seeking a hormone-free, nonsurgical answer to the symptoms of vaginal atrophy. A simple and short in-office treatment, FemTouch treatments help renew tissue in this sensitive area, restoring function and pain-free living.
Also called the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), vaginal atrophy refers to changes to delicate tissue in the pelvic area that occur as the hormonal effects begin to take hold. There’s no universal pattern to these symptoms. Every woman experiences menopause in her own way.
A primary symptom of GSM is painful intercourse. Overall, vaginal tissue becomes dry and thin for women who are affected. They may have itchy, burning, or painful sensations during intercourse and discomfort and light bleeding afterward. The production of natural lubrication accompanying arousal may be less than before menopause, and the shape and pliability of the vaginal canal might change.
As well as vaginal problems, you could experience urinary symptoms. You may feel burning when you urinate, which could be more frequently or more urgently. Urinary tract infections could occur more often.
Many menopause symptoms respond to treatment with supplemental hormones, but not every woman can safely use hormonal methods. FemTouch represents a drug-free way to gently ablate and stimulate vaginal walls, starting a natural process called collagen induction.
Laser energy emitted by the FemTouch probe absorbs into the top layer of the vaginal wall. Tissue becomes warmer with this absorption, and it triggers a healing response in your body that generates new collagen tissue below the surface.
As this collagen forms over the coming weeks, you’ll find that your GSM symptoms subside. This includes your discomfort during intercourse. You may even see an increase in lubrication when you’re aroused. When your body responds as you expect it to, don’t be surprised if a change in your libido follows.
Treatments only take a few minutes, and you’ll likely have a series of two to four sessions. Some patients report improvements after the first session or two, with full effects arriving after the collagen boost hits its maximum point.
The treatment itself has few side effects. You’ll feel a gentle warmth during and after the procedure, and you can return to your normal day after your session.
Find out more about how FemTouch can remedy painful sex in consultation with a specialist at Radiance Wellness MediSpa. You can book an appointment online or call the nearest office today.
