For many women the joy of being post-menopausal is the sense of freedom that often comes with the end of their menstrual cycle. No longer having to buy sanitary products, worry-free sex and no-more menstrual cramps are just some of the upsides of a post-menopause world, but where there are ups there are inevitably downs. One downside of the reduction of oestrogen as women enter menopause is vaginal atrophy.
Sufferers know the angst of vaginal atrophy and the troubles that comes with it – itching, burning, severe dryness, painful intercourse, urinary incontinence, urgency incontinence and prolapse to name a few. These symptoms get worse with time for everyone, and affects 20% of Australian women suffering with severe vaginal atrophy.
Vaginal atrophy can sometimes feel like one of those things you just have to live with when you’re a woman, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Vaginal atrophy can be managed and the symptoms alleviated much more easily than you may have thought – you no longer have to suffer in silence.
Fighting Vaginal Atrophy
There are a few different options to treat vaginal atrophy from vaginal oestrogen cream, pessaries or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), each with varying success rates and longevity of results.
Vaginal pessaries work to help restore the functioning of the mucosal barrier and are simply inserted before bedtime and left to work overnight. Some women find this helps fight mild atrophy whilst others report it exacerbates some of their symptoms or is too uncomfortable to persist with until results are seen. The result with vaginal oestrogen depends on the oestrogen uptake by receptors in the vagina, which get depleted in number with age. Vaginal oestrogens have to be used for a few months at a time for any benefit to be noticed.
You may have tried Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in the past, or may even be trying it now, but there is another easy treatment that can be used to treat those who haven’t responded to HRT or even to complement HRT: MonaLisa Touch Vaginal Laser.
MonaLisa Touch is a minimally-invasive vaginal treatment designed to regenerate the lining of the vaginal wall. It is based on facial rejuvenation technology where a laser stimulates regeneration of the cells in the walls of the vagina so the vascularity of the vaginal mucosa is greatly improved and results in healthy, elastic tissue with minimal disruption to daily life.
How does MonaLisa Touch work?
A laser beam is split into a series of very small dots that are aimed at the inside wall of the vagina and those dots, approximately the diameter of a thread of hair or pinhole, to stimulate regeneration. New healthy tissue is formed around the pinhole creating elastin and collagen. The good effects of this laser treatment last much longer than HRT.
Benefits of MonaLisa Touch Treatment
MonaLisa has proven successful in removing the contributing factors of dryness, itching and burning. It stimulates the tissue and helps fight the symptoms of vaginal atrophy by proliferating healthy cells and returning strength and blood supply to the vaginal wall. MonaLisa Touch can be used for symptoms related to menopause, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and breastfeeding.
Is It a One-time Fix?
There is no cure for vaginal atrophy, but good management can make it seem like you’ve been cured. With MonaLisa Touch most patients notice improvement 4-6 weeks after the first session and can be assured of long-lasting results. Initially it is recommended that you have a series of three treatments a month apart and 1-2 a year moving forwards to combat the effects of the low hormones that caused the atrophy in the first place.
The great news is that each course of treatment only takes 5 minutes and there is no recovery time. The only inconveniences are the recommendations that sex is avoided for 4 days after treatment as is soaking in a hot bath (showers are fine). Many women have found the treatment works exceptionally well to overcome their symptoms and doctors report their patients are happy and satisfied with the outcome exceeding their expectations.
MonaLisa Touch is not yet available through Medicare or private health insurance. However, there are just some things that are too beneficial to go without, and any woman who suffers from vaginal atrophy will agree the benefits of fighting the symptoms is well worth the cost of treatment.
If you want to know more about MonaLisa Touch or other treatments we can provide to help combat your vaginal atrophy symptoms. Please get in touch on 07 3054 4687.