As we women age, we do not always know what is coming next. We think we do, but we may not. We all know the stereotypical changes that happen with menopause, and of course, chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. that can occur with age.I can tell you that many women in their late 40s to late 70s are not expecting pain with intercourse, vaginal pain and discomfort, or both. It is honestly a surprise! And not a good one at that. It can make a healthy sexual relationship turn sour very quickly, which not only hurts the woman’s quality of life, but her partner’s as well.

This can affect the relationship as a whole, and both parties’ overall health, which can then lead to other medical issues. As we get older, it is important to maintain the quality of life, and I would even suggest, make it as good as it can be. In our practice, we traditionally have treated men for erectile dysfunction and other sexual issues, but we have come to realize that female sexual health is important as well.

Since March of 2016, we have been offering a revolutionary approach to treating pain with intercourse and/or vaginal pain. This treatment is called the MonaLisa Touch, which is a painless laser therapy. It originated out of Italy, hence the name. Over 15,000 women have been treated worldwide.

The MonaLisa Touch is a relatively simple treatment option that entails three treatments every six weeks, each treatment being five minutes in length. The procedure is convenient as there is no anesthesia requiring a driver or hospital stay, which means patients may come in and leave by themselves.

The procedure is only three simple steps:

1. Once the patient is in the office, anesthetic cream is applied outside and inside the vagina for fifteen minutes.

2. The laser is gently inserted into the vagina.

3. The inside and outside of the vagina are then treated with a fractionated carbon dioxide laser which is, in essence, beams of light that penetrate small areas of vaginal tissue. This then creates small wounds in the vaginal lining. The “injuries” then trigger a complex series of events that ultimately lead to more lubrication, which is what is needed for painless sexual intercourse.

There may be some mild irritation or itching for one to two days, which is easily treated with a cream called Aquaphor.

Some women might suffer from a pre-existing condition that makes this procedure not recommended, such as vaginal infection, vaginal lesions and vaginal prolapse, so it is important that the patient be properly evaluated for this in the office ahead of time.

Not only is the MonaLisa Touch beneficial for treating the side effects of menopause, but it may also be good for breast cancer survivors. In some cases, breast cancer survivors are unable to take estrogen-based cream due to their cancer, and the MonaLisa touch offers a nice alternative for these women who are usually still sexually active and young in age.

We have had several great success stories come from the use of the MonaLisa Touch and would love to evaluate you too. You may call 205-930-0920 for more information or a consultation with one of our MonaLisa Touch physicians: Dr. Paula Rookis, Dr. Nicole Massie, or Dr. Rupa Kitchens.