Menopause affects all women. However, most women are reluctant to talk about the common symptoms like vaginal dryness, itching, and urinary incontinence that can severely affect their quality of life and intimate relationships. These seldom talked about symptoms can profoundly impact their daily lives and intimate relationships. In fact, studies show that only 25% of women seek help from their doctor, believing its simply part of the aging process.
Dr. Rachel O’Keefe, certified menopause practitioner and board-certified OBGYN at Walnut Lake OBGYN has seen first-hand how common of an issue this is for women. “We hear about this all the time from women who are patients at our practice. Unfortunately, until now, there have been very few non-pharmacological or non-surgical options that could address these common problems including vaginal atrophy, laxity and urinary incontinence”.
Luckily this is about to change thanks to a breakthrough in medical technology. An in-office procedure called MonaLisa Touch is the most successful device on the market for restoring vaginal health and treating mild urinary incontinence. Walnut Lake OBGYN was one of the first practices in metro-Detroit to offer the MonaLisa Touch treatment.
“We heard about MonaLisa Touch in the medical community, and after researching it, we knew it was something we wanted to be able to offer our patients,” said Dr. O’Keefe.
MonaLisa Touch is a non-surgical therapy for vaginal atrophy that offers more than a 90% improvement in vaginal atrophy symptoms including improvement in dyspareunia (painful intercourse), vaginal dryness, burning, and itching. The device stimulates new collagen production in the vaginal wall which naturally increases blood flow and lubrication and helps improve the natural function of the vagina. Studies have shown that beneficial stimulation of the vaginal tissues, due to the energy in the device, restores the functionality of urogenital structures.
“Because no anesthesia is required and it’s done in the comfort of our office, there is no down time and virtually no pain or side effects, Dr. O’Keefe explains. “Patients notice improvement after the first treatment. Many have also shared additional benefits including an improvement in mild to moderate urinary stress incontinence, urgency and well as chronic vaginal infections.”
Patients undergo a series of three treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart. Although the treatment is not covered by insurance, Dr. O’Keefe noted that most insurances do not pay for current pharmaceutical treatments either. However, she noted that the procedure is comparably priced to the out-of-pocket cost of one year of hormone therapy.
For more information about the MonaLisa Touch or to schedule a consultation to see if you are a candidate, call Walnut Lake OBGYN & Wellness at (248) 926-2020 or visit www.walnutlakeobgyn.com.