Votiva By Inmode

As I am into my 40’s now, I have had the distinct privilege of getting acquainted with some aspects of life that I never even thought of in my 20’s. Two biggies come to mind…. First childbirth, and second is all those lovely hormonal changes.  I do my best to actually “do as I say” and exercise 5-6 times a week, and eat lots of fruits and veggies, and get enough sleep, and all that great stuff.  But there are some things that are just beyond me; like jumping jacks or the trampoline or doing that last little thing before I give myself a potty break!  Or heaven forbid my body keep up with my mind in any intimate scenario…. Just give me a few minutes - well maybe more than a few.  

I feel I have a good base to go from as a woman, as a mom, as a physician that there are some things that I would like to not just accept as “I’m getting older”.  As I have gone through the years with patients, and as I myself have added birthdays, I am acutely aware that more attention needs to be brought to the idea of women’s sexual health.  First, we need to TALK about it.  Second, we need to know our options, and finally we need to take action for ourselves.

Men have had the iconic Viagra and other meds that have followed, and we have been an enigma thus far to just a pill.  However, hormonal changes in a woman’s life can change our sex-drive, physical comfort with intimacy, risk for infections, and that’s not to mention the decrease in muscle tone after carrying those sweet babies of ours!  It’s all the stuff your mom never told you…. Yes, you will dribble before you get to the potty.  You and the 2 year old will be potty training together, and you may need some help from KY, or the like, to be more comfortable for intimacy.

BUT…. Now we can DO something that will revitalize ourselves.  Right down to the quality of our skin.  Nope, not hormone replacement, but vaginal rejuvenation!  Sounds a little bizarre, but if you think about it, the goal is to restore the tissue to its younger years and to function NORMALLY.  What are the benefits you ask? Let’s start with some personal benefits of decreased urinary tract infections and yeast infections.  Then I’ll tell you that the skin feels normal – so the irritation is improved.  Now let’s throw in an improvement in stress urinary incontinence so that we can get the last couple of grocery bags inside before our potty break and not lose it!.  And THEN…. Let’s talk about intimacy benefits of increased sensation, increased vaginal lubrication (bye-bye KY), and increased comfort/pleasure.  All because the tissue is back to functioning normally.

There are a couple of options – laser or radiofrequency.  Talk to your personal physician about which is best for you.  As a family physician myself, I have looked into so many options for patients to help in this realm of life and none have fully treated my patients.  This specific technology of radiofrequency treatment to the vaginal mucosa and external genitalia gets to the root of the problem – rebuilds the blood supply to the tissue and stimulates the growth of collagen and elastin in the tissue so that it functions normally.  The collagen and elastin support the urethra and improve stress incontinence significantly.  I’ve not come into contact with another procedure with 100% of treated people to have an improvement.  I’ve had the procedure personally, and I can do that last little bit of work and still make it to the potty 100% of the time now.  I can exercise more effectively and intensely (jumping-jacks aren’t a problem) and intimacy is so much less stressful (will my body work this time or not?) and therefore libido has returned.  This is a similar story for many of my patients.  I’m amazed.

This procedure is PAINLESS (just feels warm) and takes about 15-20 minutes of your time.  There is no prep and no down-time.  You can return to your daily activities right after this procedure.  I ask patients to refrain from intimacy for 3-5 days depending on the specific case, but you can go shopping right after!  There is no surgical room – just a regular office room to have this done.  The other great thing is that this is non-hormonal.  Some of my patients can’t or don’t want to take hormone therapy.  This is just the thing to help.  The initial treatment is 3 sessions.  Yes, you will need a touch up here and there, but it’s just one session at a time; about 2-3 times per year.  How great to feel better on so many aspects of women’s health!

So, let’s start talking with each other and learning that there are other options to help our quality of life as we age and have children.  It doesn’t have to be like our moms and grandmothers told us, we can change how we deal with aging.  Our sexual health is just one way… vaginal rejuvenation… call about it… you are worth it.