Let’s Discuss Vaginal Health
As women go through life, something that remains taboo is vaginal health. A majority of women have been raised to believe their vagina is something to be hidden and ignored. Do you remember being a young girl and being excited but also having questions about your first period? Then, of course, there was ‘the talk’ about sex and pregnancy, but we never really received information about vulvar or vaginal health. Then even as women grow up, have children, survive cancer, have difficult periods, and move into menopause, the conversation is still rare.
Unfortunately, many women who have entered menopause find out post-menopausal vaginal health is less than comfortable. While there is more freedom in shifting your focus from birth control and STD prevention to only STD prevention in your sex life, it’s more common for menopausal and post-menopausal women to have less sex. The most common complaint is painful intercourse from a lack of natural lubrication, and itchiness, dryness and discomfort from atrophy (known as atrophic vaginitis).
For women who have had children, gained or lost significant amounts of weight, had a hysterectomy, or cancer treatments, things are more complicated can can include reoccurring infections and/or urinary incontinence. Women are often told to ‘suck it up’ and live with sexual pain, urinary incontinence, and other vaginal conditions. I know that sounds horrendous, and it’s why we need to start talking about vaginal health!
Did you know it is possible to achieve significant improvements for your vagina? Regardless of the vaginal conditions that occur, it is possible to enjoy sexual intercourse and have a healthy, satisfying sex life, regardless of your current vaginal health.
Vaginal rejuvenation has been revolutionized with new laser technology in a process called FemiLift. Using a CO2 laser to provide vaginal rejuvenation has proven to be an effective and efficient way to improve women’s lives immediately. The best part is that FemiLift is a highly effective, non-medical, non-hormonal treatment for women from the pre-menopausal to post-menopausal stage. There is no downtime and very little discomfort after the procedure, and most women notice a difference shortly after.
The CO2 laser is FDA approved, and has been used by medical providers for over forty years, including dermatological and other laser-based treatments. The laser is gentle and encourages the production of collagen, which naturally lines the vaginal walls in a significant way. Depending on the severity of the breakdown of your vaginal walls, it may be necessary to have up to four sessions of FemiLift. The procedure only lasts about ten minutes at your doctor’s office and after, you can go back to normal activities. The only limitation is you should wait to have sex as directed by your medical provider (usually only 48 hours).
So, have ‘that’ discussion with your medical provider regarding any concerns with your vaginal health. If you’re experiencing painful or uncomfortable sex, urinary incontinence, occurrences of or constant atrophic vaginitis, difficult vaginal recovery from hormone therapy, cancer treatments or giving birth (especially when Kegel exercises don’t make a difference), have a conversation. There is no reason to be embarrassed. After all, your total wellness should include your vaginal and your sexual health!