Changes in your estrogen levels — usually associated with menopause, perimenopause, and induced menopause — can bring about changes to your body, including vaginal dryness. Vaginal dryness can also result when you’re under stress, have untreated anxiety, or have recently had a baby.
Estrogen is the hormone responsible for keeping vaginal tissues lubricated and healthy. When you experience vaginal dryness, sex can lose its appeal and become uncomfortable or even painful.
The experienced OB/GYN providers at Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare, with offices in Fayetteville, Newnan, and Stockbridge, Georgia, are here to help patients suffering from vaginal dryness. We have a number of treatment options that can help restore your vaginal health, including the advanced MonaLisa Touch®.
Vaginal dryness, or atrophic vaginitis, usually results after a decline in estrogen. Drops in estrogen typically occur due to perimenopause, menopause, induced menopause, and because of diseases — such as breast cancer — or after pregnancy.
Our team will discuss your symptoms, evaluate your medical history, order any necessary lab tests and conduct a physical exam to determine the best course of treatment for your needs.
Conservative treatments usually include using over-the-counter lubricants and moisturizers. Lubricants should be used each time you engage in sexual intercourse, and vaginal moisturizers can be applied every 2-3 days to keep dryness at bay.
In days gone by, the primary way doctors helped women restore vaginal lubrication was through hormone replacement therapy. Thanks to advances in science, our practitioners are pleased to offer nonhormonal, nonsurgical MonaLisa Touch laser therapy to reverse atrophic vaginitis and restore your vaginal tissues.
The MonaLisa Touch system uses the power of laser energy to gently heat the tissues in your vagina to stimulate your body’s natural healing response. The heat from the laser will prompt your body to produce collagen and elastin and thus help your most delicate skin rebuild itself.
While the treatment itself only takes minutes, your tissue restoration will continue for months. Your Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare provider will conduct a physical examination and evaluate your symptoms to recommend the right course of treatment for you. In general, most patients benefit from a series of three treatments, spaced six weeks apart.
The healing heat from the MonaLisa Touch laser will help more than vaginal dryness. As your tissues respond to increased collagen and elastin production, the skin and tissues around your vagina and vulva will become plumper and more elastic.
What’s more? You may also notice an improved, more youthful appearance in your labia as well as benefits to your urogenital tissues in general, including your urethra. Benefits from MonaLisa Touch treatments include:
After an initial treatment series, our providers typically recommend annual touchups with the MonaLisa Touch system to keep your vaginal tissues replenished and healthy.
Your MonaLisa treatment will be quick and pain-free. This simple and safe therapy requires no anesthesia and no downtime to recover. You can get your treatment during your lunch break and get back to your day.
During treatment, a small probe is inserted into your vagina to deliver CO2 laser energy pulses. It lasts about five minutes, and you may feel a slight vibration and warming sensation. If there are any side effects — such as tenderness or itching — they will be minimal and temporary. Your doctor at Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare will evaluate your unique condition and discuss any questions or concerns you may have before your treatment.
To learn more about the MonaLisa Touch system and to see if it can help treat your vaginal dryness, book an appointment online or over the phone with Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare today.
