As you age, your skin loses key proteins that give it strength and tone, leading to wrinkles, creases, and lax tissue on your face, neck, hands, and other body parts — including your vaginal tissue.
Vaginal tissue is especially prone to both atrophy and laxity as you go through perimenopause and reach menopause itself.
At Viva Health, board-certified gynecologist Dr. Aleksander J. Bodnar offers vaginal rejuvenation treatments that relieve uncomfortable symptoms and restore your libido. One option is platelet-rich plasma (PRP); here’s how it works.
Vaginal atrophy vs. vaginal laxity
Vaginal atrophy is a physiological process that occurs when estrogen levels fall. The vaginal walls thin and dry out, causing a number of uncomfortable physical symptoms, including:
- Tissue inflammation
- Pain during intercourse
- Spotting after intercourse
- Painful or burning urination
- Frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Urinary incontinence
Vaginal laxity, on the other hand, is a more subjective term. It represents a woman’s self-reported observation about the looseness of the vaginal tissue.
Vaginal laxity can have physical effects. Labia that are enlarged or shriveled can lead to decreased pleasure — or increased pain — during sex. Vaginal laxity doesn’t, however, produce any of the other symptoms associated with atrophy.
Why does vaginal tissue become lax or loose?
Vaginal tissue can become lax for a few reasons. The primary one, already discussed, is the decreasing levels of estrogen that come with perimenopause and menopause. Known as the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), it affects about 70% of all women.
A second cause is pregnancy and delivery, which stretch the tissues. That’s especially true if you’ve had several children, you had large babies, or the doctor used forceps during delivery.
A third cause is that, as you age, your body decreases the production of two structural proteins, collagen and elastin. These proteins give your skin strength and tone.
What’s involved in vaginal rejuvenation?
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can be a good choice for women going through perimenopause to increase the body’s estrogen levels; however, it’s not a good fit for everyone.
That’s why Dr. Bodnar offers platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP). It’s a regenerative medicine technique that can help vaginal atrophy.
Dr. Bodnar obtains PRP from your own blood. First, he takes a sample from your arm with a routine blood draw. Then, he spins the sample in a centrifuge to separate the red and white blood cells and concentrate the platelets in the watery (plasma) component.
Finally, he injects the prepared solution into the vaginal area, where it heals and restores vaginal tissue.
Platelets contain growth and healing factors that can regenerate tissues. PRP also stimulates collagen production, returning your tissue’s strength and elasticity.
You experience increased lubrication and blood flow along with tighter vaginal tissue. You may also see increased libido and improved orgasms. Dr. Bodnar repeats the injection once every six months.
Are you going through perimenopause, and sex isn’t as pleasurable as it used to be? Vaginal revitalization with PRP might be just the thing to get your mojo back.
To set up a consultation with Dr. Bodnar, give Viva Health a call at either of our locations, in Clark and Clifton, New Jersey, or book online with us today.