As we age we can see many different changes in our bodies, some of them good, others less so. The menopause is one of the most significant periods in a woman’s life, where we see our bodies change after many years of things staying largely the same. Internally and externally we see so many changes during this period of time, it can be difficult to keep up! Our intimate health often takes a backseat during the menopause without us realising, even though many women struggle with a lot of the same conditions, such as sexual dysfunction, vaginal laxity, changes in your sex drive and other intimate issues.
What Happens During The Menopause?
As we enter the menopause, our hormone levels change drastically, creating changes in our mood and emotional state, as well as many of the body’s functional systems including:
- The vasomotor system, which causes hot flushes and night sweats.
- The metabolic system, which can cause weight gain and digestive issues.
- The musculoskeletal system, increasing the likelihood of osteoporosis and joint pain.
- The genitourinary systems, including the urinary and reproductive systems, which can cause urinary incontinence, increased susceptibility to urinary tract infections, a decrease in libido, and vaginal laxity and dryness which can lead to pain during sex, itching and burning.
- The brain is also affected, with forgetfulness, mood swings, sleep disturbance and depression becoming more likely for menopausal women.
As women become more outspoken about specific women’s health issues, mainstream media has a better understanding of what we actually face during the menopause. There are over three and a half million menopausal and postmenopausal women in the UK workforce, and over half say that the symptoms of menopause have affected their performance at work. In fact, 10% of women have admitted to giving up work earlier than they would have planned due to the symptoms of menopause making their job more difficult.
At Jersey Skin and Beauty, we understand the impact the menopause has on women and so offer treatments to help turn back time and make women feel like themselves again.
GSM and Vaginal Laxity During The Menopause.
Vaginal Laxity is an aspect of Genitourinary Symptoms of Menopause (GSM), which around half of menopausal women will experience to some degree. GSM encompasses a variety of symptoms related to the genitourinary systems in the body. In women, these are the urinary systems and systems that control sexual function.
During the menopause, due to the steep drop off in hormone production, we see collagen production in the body stop, and the muscles in the entire body lose strength and tone, including the muscles that affect the genitourinary systems. This most commonly manifests as weakness in the pelvic floor muscles, leading to stress incontinence as the bladder can’t be held as securely. The muscles in the vaginal canal are also weakened, and the vaginal tissues thin and lose tone, which can lead to vaginal laxity, which in turn triggers other symptoms of GSM. These include decreased sensation during sex and more difficulty becoming aroused and reaching orgasm, vaginal dryness, which may cause painful or difficult sex and less tone in the tissues around the vagina, including the labia and vulva.
At Jersey Skin & Beauty, we are proud to offer a revolutionary treatment for the symptoms of GSM called Viveve.
What is Viveve & What Does It Do?
Viveve is a completely non-surgical, painless and simple treatment which uses both heating and cooling processes to kickstart the body’s own rejuvenation. Many other vaginal rejuvenation treatments only use very gentle heating technology, so as not to damage the vaginal tissues, however, this dramatically reduces their effectiveness, as the benefits rarely reach past the top layers of tissue. As Viveve uses heating and cooling technology, it can safely and comfortably reach higher temperatures and penetrate deeper into the tissues of the vagina, to give more consistent and effective results.
Using a small wand which is moved through the vaginal canal during treatment, Viveve delivers algorithmically controlled heating and cooling to prompt the vaginal tissues to produce more collagen. This leads to thicker, stronger tissues in the vagina and improved sexual performance. It also strengthens the muscles at the neck of the bladder to help control continence, and many patients see a massive reduction in the symptoms of incontinence they were experiencing before treatment.
Viveve can also be used in external areas, to help increase blood flow to the labia and clitoris, and tighten tissues to increase sensation and improve the appearance of the area, giving you more confidence and helping you feel comfortable with your sexuality.
The treatment only takes an hour, and doesn’t have any downtime, so you can get straight back to your day after Viveve treatment!
To find out more about Viveve, the symptoms or menopause or any of the other treatments we offer at Jersey Skin and Beauty, or to book your Viveve consultation, contact the clinic today on 01534 633 060 today.