Low Sexual Desire/ Inability or Difficulty to Orgasm/ Pain with intercourse
Sexual disorders occur in about 43% of women. There are several types of sexual disorders and each can have varying causes and treatments.
Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
This affects approximately 10% of women. It is characterized by a persistent or recurrent absence of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity, causing marked personal distress or interpersonal difficulties. Treatment includes a combination of lifestyle changes, education, sex therapy, psychotherapy, and medications.
Inability or Decreased Ability to Orgasm
According to studies, 10-15% of women state that they have never had an orgasm and 50% of women are unsatisfied either with how often they have an orgasm or the amount of difficulty they have reaching orgasm. The causes are many, but include: a history of abuse, lack of knowledge about stimulation, poor body image, guilt, embarrassment, mental health conditions, relationship factors, religious influences, gynecological conditions, health conditions, medicines, tobacco or alcohol use, or age-related changes to the body. Treatments include cognitive therapy, self-directed stimulation, enhancement devices, behavioral therapy, hormonal medications, or vaginal platelet-rich plasma injections.
Pain with Intercourse
Up to 20% of women experience dyspareunia, or pain with intercourse. This can be caused by dryness, changes with aging, underlying gynecological conditions, inadequate lubrication, prior trauma, vaginal structural abnormalities, or emotional distress. Treatments include correcting the underlying condition (such as endometriosis, fibroids, interstitial cystitis, infection, etc), personal lubricants, correcting hormonal deficiencies, platelet-rich plasma injections, or vaginal laser treatments.
Available Treatment Options
A discussion should be held with your provider to identify potential causes so that a treatment plan can be tailored to your needs. Medications are available to help treat emotional or behavioral concerns. Sometimes, patients may benefit from treatment by a licensed behavioral or sexual therapist. A physical exam will likely need to be performed, and imaging or lab tests may be ordered to identify any potential underlying conditions.
Compounded Medications
Creams can be designed and customized based on specific patient needs. Many of these creams contain medications, naturally-derived components, and/or hormones. These compounds can result in increased blood flow, increased sensation, and increased lubrication.
Vaginal Platelet Rich Plasma Injections
Platelet-rich-plasma therapy, or PRP, is becoming an increasingly popular modality the treatment of several female sexual disorders. Vaginal PRP shots have been marketed under the trademarked “O-shot” name. Platelets contain specific growth factors that promote the growth of collagen and blood vessels in the vaginal tissues.
Our procedure involves drawing a small amount of your blood. Using a specialized centrifuge system, we isolate the platelet-rich plasma from the remaining blood products. During this process, a numbing cream is applied to the treatment area. After the PRP solution has been prepared, a series of small injections with a very small needle are done around the clitoral area, the urethra, and the anterior vaginal wall at the Grafenburg spot (or “G-spot”). This results in decreased or absent pain during intercourse, increased ability to achieve orgasm and frequency of orgasm, shortened time to achieve orgasm, improved vaginal lubrication, decreased and often absent pain with intercourse, improved satisfaction with intercourse, improvement and often resolution of some types of urinary incontinence, and improvement in sexual desire. Patients experience little to no pain during the treatment, but may feel a brief, slight pinch at some injection locations. Effects may be present as soon as few days after treatment. Full effects can take up to 3 months and can last for up to 18 months. Most patients will typically want to repeat treatment once per year to maintain maximum effect.
Vaginal Laser Therapy
This treatment involves a non-surgical, painless 15-minute office procedure utilizing reliable third-generation CO2 fractional Laser Pixel technology delivered into the vagina via a vaginal-shaped probe. This FDA-approved therapy provides brief, CO2 laser pulses into the dermal layer of the vaginal tissues causing the contraction of existing collagen fibers, the formation of new collagen fibers, and an increase in blood vessel formation. This results in increased vaginal “tightness” and elasticity, increased sensation with intercourse, decreased pain, improved lubrication, improvement or often resolution of some types of urinary incontinence, and improvement in laxity after childbirth. This therapy can also be used for the reduction in size or appearance of labial tissue or improvement in conditions such as lichen sclerosis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and recurrent infections.
This treatment involves three treatments done approximately 4 weeks apart. Effects will last about 5-6 years. If symptoms return after several years, patients will typically require only one treatment to achieve full effects again for another 5-6 years.
To schedule an appointment please call us at (205) 598-6800