Female Intimate Health Problems

An estimated 43% of women have sexual function concerns over their lifetime and are in some degree of distress over this impairment. This impacts quality of life and self-image. Research is just catching up to what has been done for your male counterparts, and what works for them doesn’t work quite as well for women. Besides cultural/religious, and partner/relational issues, there often are true medical factors, but even ‘pure’ medical issues can have a negative impact on how we feel about ourselves. So treatment usually is optimal when it comes from a multi-faceted approach.

We at MindyourSkin in the Havertown and Philadelphia areas are not in a position to offer the full range of diagnosis and treatment for all female intimate health problems (hypertension, diabetes, endocrine disorders, auto-immune diseases, depression, psychological trauma, cancer, excessive alcohol and nicotine use), but because of our unique expertise in the field of medical laser devices there are certain applications we offer that can still be of considerable help! One such area is the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM), a term introduced in 2014 as an age-related grouping of changes to the vulvar area, urethra, vagina and bladder. This includes dryness, burning, irritation; 85% of these women report loss of intimacy including painful sex as measured by the gold-standard FSFI-scale. Vulvo-vaginal atrophy is the hallmark feature of GSM and contributes to stress-urinary incontinence (SUI) because it alters the support for and thereby the position of the urethra, which then has more difficulty staying closed. Activities of daily living, including exercise, coughing/sneezing, jumping, etc. and sex become associated with the anxiety of anticipated embarrassment. Anti-hormone therapy and surgically induced menopause factor in and the former precludes the option of hormone supplements. In 2015 a study published in ‘Climacteric’ found that microablative CO2-laser ‘vaginal rejuvenation’ improved all FSFI scores, physical and emotional. A myriad of devices flooded the market, but many manufacturors received a slap on the wrist from the FDA in the summer of 2018 for being unable to back-up their lofty claims with data from well conducted studies. The Syneron-Candela CO2re-Intima, and our Cutera Juliet (Erbium) laser systems escaped the FDA’s wrath but unfortunately got swept up in indiscriminate negative news coverage such as ABC News and People Magazine. Experts in the field have since stressed that as with all elective treatments the decision to go forward lies in the hands of the patient after the provider delivers proper informed consent on all the relevant options, including pro’s, con’s and alternatives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9BcwktJ1Vw

Other non-hormonal treatments can be effective as well. There are the surgical mesh and sling procedures. These do not have the benefit of improving lubrication. However, there are few solid benefits in herbals like Ginko Biloba and Lady Prelox and long-term safety data on these isn’t available.

In short: Micro-ablative laser treatment such as our Cutera Juliet Erbium system for vaginal rejuvenation can provide significant improvement in functionality for women with issues of vaginal lubrication, discomfort and itching, as well as ameliorating the embarassment that is attached to intermittent bladder leakage associated with position changes, coughing/sneezing/exercising (stress-incontinence) and sex. The treatment is safe and effective, requires no surgery or downtime, is non-hormonal (i.e. can be used in lieu of hormone replacement where that may be off the table!) and can be repeated at intervals. Come see us in our Havertown or Philadelphia location or learn more at the Intimate Wellness Institute. We are evaluating a new device patients can use at home (vFit PLUS).

My wife Kim performs the actual procedure.Read more:

 

https://mindyourskin.com/cosmetic-procedures/vaginal-rejuvenation/