So, you’ve just given birth…what happens to your vagina now? It is not uncommon for women to experience changes to their vagina after giving birth and in a haze of that baby bubble, followed by the reality of getting used a body that has served you so well. Still, sometimes things aren’t functioning in the way they used to, there are always questions but not on topics that everyone is so quick to ask!!
This has been a hot topic of late as the French are leading the way in terms of health care and a post-natal rehab programme for new mums, which is paid for by the state. As part of their health check, a 12-week postnatal rehab programme is provided to correct posture and strengthen the abdominal and pelvic area. At the same time, some women are also given vaginal electrical stimulation to reboot the pelvic floor area and strengthen it after the trauma of pregnancy. Although this isn’t an option offered by the public health service in Ireland, you can now avail of vaginal therapy and rejuvenation through experienced medical professionals. EmpowerRF by InMode treatment addresses a variety of conditions for women’s intimate health, such as blood circulation issues, pain relief, pelvic floor weakness along with multiple types of urinary incontinence — of which 1 in 3 women suffer from and up to 76% of women experiencing decreased vaginal sensation.
We caught up with leading women’s health expert Dr Sarah Jenkins to learn more about the importance of women’s intimate health and its impact on overall well-being, what you can do to take control, and how devices such as EmpowerRF can help.
All too often women are told to go home and make sure they are doing their Kegels…however according to Dr Sarah ‘while Kegels are very important to complete, you must get them right. And without a device which tells you if you are engaging the muscles properly and/or help from a specialist pelvic floor physiotherapist it is very difficult to know if you have got the correct technique. If you have hypertonia (too tight) of the pelvic floor muscles after birth, I have to teach my patients how to relax some of the muscles but the deeper muscles need work. Which is why Vtone is great and it directly targets those muscles internally. Some women can do their Kegels forever and still not overcome unwanted urinary drops and leakage, and until now in the UK and Ireland there hasn’t really been a solution for this group. But thanks to Empower RF by InMode we now have a safe a reliable tool to use and give women their quality of life back.
The Empower RF is the only machine on the market that has the FDA approved Morpheus8 technology that all celebrities love to keep their skin healthy and help prevent unwanted signs of aging. The clever InMode scientists have taken this technology and made a comprehensive treatment platform specifically for women’s intimate health. I use this platform because it is safe! It’s a bipolar machine meaning all the energy used transfers back to the machine making it safe to use in women who have a coil in situ. I also know it can’t burn my patients like lasers can because it has a temperature cut off point.
There are several modalities that women can experience, firstly Vtone - which I’ve coined as “The Vagina Gym” is the most potent direct muscle stimulator to date. A small device is inserted into the vaginal canal and uses clever Electrical Muscle Stimulation technology, which works with your muscles to re-strengthen the whole pelvic floor. 20 mins on this device delivers 30,000 Kegel exercises!
After a course of 6 women report a huge improvement to their incontinence issues, such as peeing when sneezing/coughing/jumping/laughing or suddenly needing to wee and almost having accidents. Not to mention the pleasure benefits of having stronger pelvic floor muscles!
The aim is always to improve women’s quality of life, ensuring they no longer have to endure these challenges in silence. ‘M8V powerful RF technology combined with microneedling to contract the skin addressing any laxity after childbirth, also indicated for improving painful scar tissue associated with tears and episiotomies. The “controlled damage” causes your own bodies healing process to produce more collagen and elastin and improves blood flow. This process results in better quality skin which is thickened with more collagen and elastic fibres. This also treats vaginal dryness, lack of sensation, small bladder and bowel prolapses preventing worsening symptoms. So many of my patients have this treatment in between having their children in order to maintain their pelvic health. And more importantly it doesn’t hurt like Morpheus8 face can as the anatomy is different and we don’t have the same level of nerves in our pelvic region as we do in our face!
Last but not lease, RF alone is called FormaV! RF is very well documented internationally in medical trials to improve intimate health and skin and is commonplace across Europe and US. For anyone who is experiencing pain on intercourse after giving birth this is the perfect and more gentle treatment compared to the M8V. It’s also great for post-menopausal women struggling with sore and dry vulva and vaginal problems. Completely painless and I’ve been told it feels like a hot stone massage!
In recent years, it seems that radiofrequency technology has taken centre stage when it comes to skin care, but as science has continued to evolve, the role of radiofrequency devices for treating an array of non-skin-related conditions has also began rising to prevalence with this new type of radio frequency strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. When asked about suitable candidates, Dr Sarah said "A medical professional would need to examine you and make recommendations after they have assessed your pelvic floor and vaginal canal and external genitalia (vulva) but most women are suitable for Vtone at minimum, and it’s great to complete a course to maintain your pelvic floor- just like going to the gym to maintain your muscles and overall health and wellbeing!"
While the idea of utilising radiofrequency technology in the vagina can sound scary, the process is relatively pain-free and the results are life-changing. EmpowerRF is now available in Ireland at Donnybrook Cosmetic & Wellness Clinic founded by the renowned Dr. Sami Hameid, MB.CH.B. Visit www.donnybrookclinic.com or www.inmodemd.co.uk to learn more.
