Despite the fact that urinary incontinence affects up to 37% of Australian women, 70% of people with urinary leakage do not seek advice and treatment for their problem[1].
This week is World Continence Week —an initiative that hopes to change those statics by bringing a problem so many women experience, but so few speak about, to the fore.
What causes incontinence?
Risk factors for urinary incontinence include pregnancy, obesity, urinary tract infections, and health conditions.
Further incontinence issues can occur later in life due to vaginal atrophy, when the walls of the vagina become thinner, drier or become inflamed as the natural elasticity and blood supply is reduced, explains Female Cosmetic and Plastic Surgeon, Dr Anh Nguyen. “This affects in excess of 40% of Australian women, “ she points out. In addition to urinary urgency and incontinence, symptoms of vaginal atrophy include vaginal dryness, itchiness and irritation and pain during intercourse.
What are the solutions?
In many cases, incontinence is a problem that can be treated and cured, but there are too many sufferers who sit in silence ignoring the problem.
One such treatment is the Mona Lisa Touch — five-minute, painless and safe treatment that targets the underlying cause of vaginal atrophy, explains Dr Nguyen. “The treatment stimulates the formation of collagen and other components of the ‘ground matrix’ to promote proliferation of the cells and restoration of the natural structure and blood supply to the vaginal wall.” The effects of the treatment will last significantly longer when compared to existing treatments – such as HRT – and it is even proving effective for women who have not responded to existing treatment options, she adds.
The Rescu. Reader Roadtest
We sent a Rescu. reader (who preferred not to be named) to experience the Mona Lisa Touch treatment for herself to report back on the results. Her experience was, in her words, “truly life changing”. Read some of the results below.
The before
“I’m 51, a mother of three young adult children, and for me, regular monthly periods stopped around two years ago. Since then I’ve had fluctuating symptoms that have been a challenge to deal with. I’ve had episodes of ‘urge incontinence’, which have lasted a couple of weeks each time. During these episodes, I’d experience a sudden, intense urge to urinate, that literally came on out of nowhere. I’ll be honest, I even experienced ‘accidents’ just trying to get from my lounge room to the toilet, as the symptoms could be so severe. I have also experienced vaginal dryness, itchiness & soreness that again had a tendency to fluctuate. The joys of menopause!”
The treatment
“In my initial consult I met with Dr Anh, who owns her beautifully appointed clinic. We discussed my symptoms and various treatment options, and she assured me that my symptoms and issues were quite common for women through and after menopause. She advised that the Mona Lisa treatment was usually very beneficial for us. She advised that a course of three treatments, spread over three months, would usually give optimal results. I was then booked in to have my first treatment a few days later.
“I was a little nervous on the day of my first treatment, but soon relaxed. To be honest, I’ve had pap smears that were far more uncomfortable – there was modest discomfort initially, but it was over so quickly I barely had time to register it was happening.”
The results
“I was advised I may see results after a week or two, but that some women needed the three treatments before they had full benefits. Happily I noticed initial benefits within a couple of weeks of treatment one, and as the treatments progressed, my symptoms significantly reduced in severity.
“I finished my third treatment and am truly delighted with the results. I’ve had no episodes of sudden urge incontinence since my first treatment, and I’m hoping that I’ll never have one again! I was advised that some women need to come in once a year for a ‘top up’ treatment, often needing a single session to restore stability and keep their symptoms under control – a service I’ll happily utilise should my unfortunate symptoms make a future comeback.
“The results from this series of Mona Lisa treatments have been truly life changing. I am happy to sing the praises of this treatment, and recommend it to any woman who is going through the change of life and finds her bladder is giving her unpleasant symptoms. It’s also great to treat other menopause symptoms, such as vaginal dryness, itchiness and soreness. It helps restore the hormone imbalances menopause brings & has so many beneficial outcomes.
Our reader experienced the Mona Lisa treatment at Dr Anh’s clinic in Perth.
[1] Statistics from https://www.continence.org.au/pages/key-statistics.html
