Painful sex after menopause is more common than you may realize, potentially affecting half of all women. Even though it’s caused by the loss of the hormone estrogen, it can be treated without hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Fred A. Williams offers innovative laser treatment with the MonaLisa Touch®, which restores vaginal health and allows you to enjoy sex again.
When you reach menopause, your ovaries stop producing estrogen. This loss of estrogen has a broad impact because estrogen helps maintain the health of nearly every tissue in your body. Your bones are just one example. Estrogen is essential for building strong bones, so when its levels drop, your risk of developing osteoporosis significantly increases.
The tissues that line your vagina are especially vulnerable to the decline in estrogen after menopause. As a result, half of all women develop a condition called vaginal atrophy, or in medical lingo, genitourinary syndrome of menopause.
When you have vaginal atrophy, your vaginal lining begins to thin. Folds in the vaginal wall begin to disappear, so your vagina loses its natural elasticity. At the same time, production of substances needed to keep your vaginal lining strong and hydrated begins to slow down. The decrease in estrogen also leads to reduced blood flow and less lubrication.
All these problems combined — the lack of lubrication and persistent vaginal dryness and thinning — cause painful intercourse. In addition to the pain, you’re also likely to experience bleeding as intercourse causes small tears in the fragile vaginal lining.
Although hormone replacement therapy is one treatment option, you can overcome the problem without taking hormones when you choose treatment with the MonaLisa Touch.
The MonaLisa Touch is an advanced fractional CO2 laser that was specially designed to restore your vaginal health. Using a round device that’s inserted into your vagina, the MonaLisa Touch delivers 360° laser treatment, reaching all vaginal surfaces in one session that takes only about five minutes.
As the laser’s energy reaches deep into vaginal tissues, its heat stimulates the growth of new blood cells and triggers the production of:
Over the next few weeks, circulation and lubrication improve, the vaginal lining thickens and rehydrates, and your vaginal tissues return to their pre-menopause tone and elasticity. As your symptoms of vaginal atrophy disappear, intercourse stops being painful, and you can enjoy sex again.
Your treatment with the MonaLisa Touch is so comfortable that you won’t need anesthesia. You also won’t need to schedule downtime following your procedure. How can laser energy travel through vaginal tissues without pain? Here’s the answer:
You don’t experience pain thanks to the gentle action of the SmartXide² fractional CO2 laser. It takes a single, powerful beam of light and breaks it up into many tiny streams of light.
These microbeams travel through your vaginal tissues in tiny pinpoint areas or dots, treating just enough tissue to stimulate therapeutic results while leaving enough healthy skin untouched to facilitate healing and prevent pain.
After your treatment, you may develop slight redness and swelling that heal within a few days. During this short time, you should avoid sex and strenuous exercise; otherwise, you can go back to your normal daily routine.
You may notice some improvement after your first treatment, but most women need three procedures spaced a few weeks apart for optimal restoration of their vaginal tissues. After your three sessions are finished, your results may last up to a year.*
When you choose treatment with the MonaLisa Touch, you can restore your sexual health without hormone replacement therapy. To learn whether you’re a good candidate for MonaLisa Touch, call the office or schedule an appointment online.
*Individual results may vary.
