Women’s bodies endure a lot over a lifetime. Two of the most significant changes are childbirth and menopause, both of which can lead to unexpected and unwelcome vaginal changes. If you’re experiencing symptoms like painful sex, vaginal dryness, and mild incontinence, you don’t have to write it off as normal and try to get through it. Call Madonna OB/GYN and Medical Spa in Rochester, NY to ask about Vaginal Rejuvenation.
The Discussion
In the last few years, there has been a surge in women requesting treatments like Vaginal Rejuvenation, and it’s because we’re opening up the conversation to make it less embarrassing or intimidating. Any woman who has had a child or is going through perimenopause or menopause should feel comfortable talking about what they’re experiencing.
In the past, few people talked about these issues, and women would think it was just something normal they had to deal with. Sometimes doctors would recommend band-aids for a few symptoms like buying personal lubrication or wearing maxipads for bladder leakage. While there’s a time and a place for both, neither addresses the underlying issues the woman was experiencing.
What Causes Vaginal Changes?
There are two major events in a woman’s life that can cause significant changes to her vagina and/or sexual health: childbirth and menopause. The changes many women experience can be embarrassing to discuss, so it’s important they know that, while these symptoms are “normal”, you don’t have to suffer through them. Symptoms might include:
- Vaginal dryness
- Painful intercourse
- Mild to moderate incontinence
- Change in the genitalia’s appearance
- Weakening of the vaginal walls
- Discomfort during certain physical activities like bike riding
- Reduced sexual pleasure
- Reduced libido
Pregnancy
Childbirth has the biggest effect on the state of a woman’s vagina, but pregnancy plays a role in the changes too. When a woman is pregnant, the volume of blood in her body increases to support the baby. This blood can leave her vagina and vulva swollen, sometimes for months.
A woman can also develop varicose veins in her vaginal area. Varicose veins result from the one-way valve each vein has becoming weak and not functioning properly. Instead of being carried back to the heart, blood can pool in the vein and bulge out and become visible. Many of these varicose veins resolve themselves after childbirth.
Childbirth
This is a traumatic event for the vagina. The cervix, which is the opening that makes up the bottom of the uterus, must stay closed for the entire 9 months to keep the pregnancy viable and in place. That opening now has to dilate to ten centimeters to allow the baby to come through the vagina. The pelvic floor muscles have been known to stretch to three times their original size during labor.
The vagina will be stretched as the baby travels down the birth canal. When it reaches the vulva, that area can sometimes be stretched to its limit and a doctor may have to perform an episiotomy. This procedure involves the doctor cutting the tissue from the opening of the vagina to her perineum. If an episiotomy isn’t done on time, this same area can rip.
Post-Childbirth
After enduring all that, the vagina will go back to its (almost) original state. After one child, many women report feeling not quite the same for quite a while. If the muscles on the pelvic floor are weakened, it will be difficult for a woman to reach orgasm. A drop in hormones can leave women with temporary vaginal dryness that can make sex painful.
Each woman’s body is different, but many are left with more laxity in their vaginal tissues than they’d like or are comfortable with. Mild incontinence is often reported after childbirth. A woman may find that laughing, sneezing or working out can cause minor leakage. These symptoms are made worse for women who have had multiple children.
Menopause
As women approach menopause, it’s called perimenopause, and it can last for up to ten years for some women. During this time a woman is experiencing all the physical symptoms that lead up to actual menopause, which is diagnosed when a woman hasn’t had her period for 12 consecutive months. Her estrogen is also steadily declining.
As estrogen declines, a few major things happen to her vaginal tissues. First, the vaginal walls become thinner and produce less mucous or personal lubrication. There is a decrease in blood flow to the area, which can lead to a decreased libido. Collagen and elastin, which have steadily been declining since our mid-20s, will take a 30% dip during menopause.
The Loss of Collagen
Losing collagen and elastin leads to a loosening of all the tissues inside and outside the vagina. A woman may feel like she’s not as tight or firm anymore. The vulva, which encompasses all the genitalia outside of the vagina, can droop and elongate. Collagen is the fibrous protein that makes up the strong middle layer of our skin called the dermis.
We hear about collagen all the time as it relates to the appearance of the skin on our faces, but the same is true all over our bodies, including the skin inside and around the vagina.
Emotional Effects
The physical changes are tangible, so they’re easier to identify and understand. Women also experience many negative emotional and phycological symptoms because of these changes. The biggest is the sense of lost vitality. If a woman either has lost interest in sex or finds it painful so she avoids it, this can wear on her self-confidence and self-identity. This is not just about keeping her partner happy but what it does to her self-image and losing intimacy within those relationships.
This can cause depression and withdrawal, particularly if it’s coupled with embarrassment over the aesthetics of her genitalia. She may avoid intimate contact altogether. Other emotional symptoms may include:
- Constant anxiety about incontinence
- Social withdrawal
- Loss of confidence socially, intimately and professionally
- Frustration
- Discouragement
- Anger
- Sadness
Treatment
Luckily, there are solutions for women. More and more cosmetic medical facilities are offering women’s health solutions, including Vaginal Rejuvenation.
What Is CO2RE Intima Vaginal Rejuvenation?
CO2RE Vaginal Rejuvenation is a non-surgical treatment for women who are interested in treating vaginal laxity, dryness, mild incontinence and improving their sexual health and enjoyment. This Co2 laser treatment works inside the vagina to promote collagen and elastin production and outside the vagina to help restore a youthful appearance of genitalia.
In the past, women had to consider invasive surgery to address these issues, and there was no guarantee it would produce any results. This is a quick in-office treatment that requires no incisions and no downtime.
How Does CO2RE Intima Vaginal Rejuvenation Work?
This vaginal rejuvenation treatment gets results because it triggers your body’s natural responses and the production of collagen and elastin. It uses Co2 fractional laser technology to resurface the vaginal walls using a special scanner. This scanner creates undetectable mico-perforations.
These micro-perforations trigger the body’s healing process. This forces the components of the vaginal tissue to re-organize and re-structure. Over the next few weeks, tissue continues to regenerate.
What Does This New Collagen Do?
Throughout the vaginal walls, this new structure of collagen nourishes the mucous membranes and they become more hydrated and active. The vaginal walls regain elasticity, tone and strength because collagen is forming a solid foundation for the tissue in the skin’s dermis.
This strengthening includes the urethral opening, which can help reduce incidents of stress incontinence. This new strengthening of the vaginal walls can help a woman achieve orgasm more easily than before treatment. As new cells regenerate, they increase blood flow to the area which can positively impact libido.
What Can I Expect During Treatment?
You’ll first have a consultation to go over your concerns, health history and the results you’d like to experience. This is a safe and compassionate conversation. An examination of the area may or may not be made, depending on your individual situation.
The Treatment Experience
This is a very comfortable and quick treatment, with appointments lasting around 15 minutes. There is no need for topical anesthetic and there are no needles or incisions involved. An applicator will be inserted to resurface the inside of the vagina and then applied to the outside to firm up the appearance of the vulva.
Most clients report no discomfort and just a mild warming sensation. Once your session is complete, you can go back to your life immediately. The only restriction you’ll have is to refrain from sexual activity for at least 7 days. Follow any individual instructions your doctor may provide.
When Will I See Results?
Some clients will see results begin immediately, but the real results appear as collagen is built up in the tissues that have been treated. The treatment regimen calls for a series of three treatment sessions spaced three weeks apart.
Results will continue to get better over the course of the three treatments. Collagen and elastin continue to improve with each treatment. Once you’ve completed a course of three treatments, most women will come in annually for a maintenance treatment.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
This treatment is designed for women who want to alleviate the negative signs of childbearing and aging in their most personal area. This includes women who are:
- Post-childbearing
- Menopausal
- Peri-menopausal
- Seeking improvement in sexual function
- Seeking vaginal cosmetic improvement
- Wanting to feel more confident about their feminine aesthetics
This is most appropriate for women who are done having children. Only your doctor can determine if this is the right treatment for you and your concerns.
What Women Are Saying
The best testament to a treatment for women is to hear what other women are saying and feeling about this process. A recent study was done to see how women who had completed treatment with CO2RE Vaginal Rejuvenation felt about it. At twelve weeks, following the third and final treatment, here’s what women had to say:
- 81% of them saw a significant increase in sexual gratification
- 94% reported a significant improvement in tightening, dryness, and atrophy
- 100% reported overall satisfaction with treatment
The women studied were all over the age of 45 and had received the recommended three treatments. Doctors and patients are thrilled that there is a remedy to symptoms so many women experience and may have thought there was no solution for.
Don’t Put Off Enjoying Life to the Fullest
You and your body have been through a lot in this life and you both deserve to function at your very best. Don’t put off enjoying important moments in life any longer.
Call Madonna OB/GYN and Medical Spa in Rochester, NY and schedule a consultation. We’ve built our clinic and spa around providing the highest quality healthcare in a sensitive, considerate and knowledgeable manner. We look forward to helping you look and feel your best and enjoy every moment of your life!