Vaginal atrophy and dryness is probably the last thing on anyone’s mind – except for maybe the person who is dealing with it on a regular basis. It can be a tough topic of conversation, too. There’s probably not a lot of conversation starters that begin with “describe the state of your vaginal walls.” Women just tend to buck up and deal with it, accept what menopause is doing to their bodies and move on.
Unfortunately, accepting menopause symptoms at face value can wreak havoc on your sex life, especially as you get older. It’s true that menopause may not be entirely to blame for low drive or low libido, but when you are dealing with atrophy, dryness, laxity and incontinence, it’s naturally going to affect how often you get in the mood.
A Sex Survey: What Would You Say?
A New York Times article published in July 2019, cited a recent study from the medical journal Menopause where surveys of more than 24,000 menopause-aged women taking part in an ovarian cancer screening study in Britain were collected regarding their sex life. According to the article, 78 percent of the women surveyed said they had an intimate partner but only 49.2 percent said they had active sex lives. This unique survey had multiple-choice questions, but also left room for women to leave comments. The reality of the comments left startling conclusions to the researchers who found the answer to a decline in sexual activity to be more diverse and complicated than expected, but many were due to common menopause symptoms.
Some, naturally, were due to divorce, death or an illness of their partner, but some other common themes were their own lack of desire due to their own inability (namely, how menopause has made them feel), lack of energy or interest, unable to fit sex in their daily lives, to name a few.
The reality is that as women begin to advance in years, the topic of conversation about sex with their partner and healthcare provider tend to become less and less. So, aside from life-threatening or doctor-prescribed reasons, excuses to reduce or abstain from sex can be very easy to come up with. Assuming the woman and her partner are physically able, it can become a vicious downward spiral of menopause symptoms, hormonal changes, loss of interest or desire from either woman or partner (possibly due to the menopause symptoms themselves, such as dryness) and then ultimately abstaining from sex at all.
If you were to take the survey, what comment would you leave for the researchers about your sex life? If it’s related to menopause, there are new treatments available to restore and rejuvenate your vaginal health, returning it to the way it was before menopause.
What Menopause Took, MonaLisa Touch Restores
Did you know it is possible to return your vagina to the way it was before menopause? MonaLisa Touch is a minimally invasive, painless, in-office laser treatment for women to do just that. As women progress through menopause, estrogen starts to decline. Estrogen is what keeps the vaginal walls plump and healthy and, due to the decline, vaginal walls start to become thin and inelastic. MonaLisa Touch is a fractional CO2 laser that uses focused heat energy to rejuvenate the vaginal walls. It focuses on areas of unhealthy vaginal tissue, gently removes them, and stimulates the remaining tissue into self-rejuvenation. Any dormant cells in the vaginal walls become awakened due to the laser and naturally start to increase blood vessels, collagen and elastin.
Keep in mind, the procedure is quick (five minutes!), painless, and no side effects, which means you can resume your normal activities immediately. You will notice immediate results and continued improvement throughout the weeks. Some of the results you will notice include:
- More elastin and collagen
- No more cracking or tearing with intercourse
- Improved bladder control
- Reduced risk of urinary tract infections
- More lubrication
- More comfortable sex
- Healthier vaginal flora
The question remains, what are you waiting for? Don’t let menopause symptoms stand in the way between you and a healthy sex life. There’s hope and restoration waiting for you on the other side with MonaLisa Touch. Dr. Christi was the first physician in West Houston/Katy and the first Urologist in Houston to offer this groundbreaking procedure and is excited to walk you through the journey to vaginal rejuvenation.
Let’s start the conversation. Call Dr. Christi today at 281-542-8124 to schedule your MonaLisa Touch procedure and return to a healthy sex life.
