Monalisa Touch for Urinary Incontinence

If you suffer from urinary incontinence, you understand the impact it can have on a woman's life. Many women are unable to play sport, run, jump, sneeze or cough without the embarrassment of being incontinent. Others find that a sudden urgent need to use the toilet affects daily activities and undermines their confidence. It's a problem that is not only limited to post-menopausal women or those who have had babies; it can affect women of all ages and life situations. Dr. Gaayatri understands the impact incontinence has on women's lives and is committed to providing the best health care possible. She was the first gynaecologist in Delhi to offer MonaLisa Touch, a treatment which is effective in treating urinary incontinence.

What Is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is when urine leaks involuntarily from the bladder. The urinary sphincter should never control over urination, but when it is weak or damaged, this control is lost.

Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence

The symptoms of urinary incontinence include:

• An urgent need to urinate, followed by involuntary urination
• Small amounts of urine leakage
• Bladder may completely empty involuntarily
• Urine leakage from exertion such as running, jumping, sneezing, coughing or lifting heavy objects
• A frequent or constant dribbling of urine from the bladder not emptying completely

Types of Urinary Incontinence

There are three main types of urinary incontinence that affect women. They are:

• Stress incontinence
  This type of incontinence means that you can't run, jump, sneeze or cough without urine leakage. The stress of movement or pressure on the bladder causes urine to leak past the urinary sphincter.
• Urge Incontinence
  Urge incontinence is when you experience an intense and sudden urge to empty your bladder, even if you went to the toilet a short time ago. Urge incontinence is caused by an overactive bladder muscle that pushes urine out of the bladder.
• Mixed incontinence
  If you have symptoms of both overactive bladder and stress incontinence, you likely have mixed incontinence, a combination of both types. Most women with incontinence have both stress and urge symptoms .

Sometimes women suffer from more than three type of urinary incontinence at the same time

What Causes Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence affects women more than men. Its causes include:

Pregnancy
Hormonal changes in pregnancy as well as added pressure from the uterus can cause stress incontinence.

Childbirth
A vaginal delivery can cause damage to pelvic nerves and muscles, resulting in an overactive bladder and stress incontinence.

Menopause
Menopause can cause due to harmonal deficiency and the bladder to lose its elasticity, leading to a more frequent or more urgent need to urinate.

Vaginal Dryness
Vaginal dryness can also affect the urethra, the outlet for the bladder. This raises the risk of infections and affects the frequency of urination.

Surgery
Some women who have a hysterectomy or prolapse repair find that they suffer from incontinence afterwards.

Other Health Conditions
Some chronic health conditions such as diabetes raise the risk of incontinence. Other conditions include Parkinson's disease, urinary stones, multiple sclerosis, brain tumours, stroke and spinal injury.

How Can the MonaLisa Touch Treatment Help Urinary Incontinence?
The MonaLisa Touch treatment is effective in treating urinary incontinence. It stimulates blood flow to the affected areas, bringing healing and rejuvenation to the pelvic floor muscles, vaginal walls and urethra. Increased blood flow and better tissue tone reduces pain and leads to better urinary function. Many women report an immediate improvement in their symptoms.

How Does the MonaLisa Touch Treatment Work?
MonaLisa Touch is a non-surgical fractional laser system. A laser beam is split into microscopic dots and aimed at the area to be treated. A computer controls the length of time the laser beam is in contact with the treatment area, with each pulse being less than a tenth of a second.

When the laser beam meets the tissue of the treatment area, it removes a tiny piece around the less than 5 of tip of a pin. This stimulates the body's healing response at the laser site and surrounding cells. Healthy new cells replace the old ones as the body repairs the damage. The laser also heats the tissue between the dots, stimulating the production of collagen and elastin, which are important components of healthy cells.

Benefits of Mona Lisa Touch

• Painless 10 minute procedure
• Low risk with few or no side effects
• Suitable for almost everyone
• Better control over urinary function
• Less frequent need to urinate, especially at night
• Fewer feelings of urgency to urinate
• Less frequent urinary tract infections
• Toned and lubricated vagina, leading to less pain
• More enjoyment of sex and increased libido
• Less need to use Hormone Replacement Therapy creams during menopause

Possible Side Effects
The MonaLisa Touch treatment is painless and side effects are rare, but could include:

• Vaginal irritation or itching
• Slight bleeding
• Slight swelling
• Redness
• Mild discomfort

These side effects are temporary and usually resolve within a few days.

Menopause & Urogenital vaginal atrophy. Changes that Affect the Quality of Life
VuIvo-Genitourinary syndrome of menopause is a very common condition in the female population, especially during menopause. The loss of oestrogen production in the ovaries is associated with the onset of vaginal atrophy. The genital tract is indeed particularly sensitive to a decline in oestrogen levels and approximately half of postmenopausal women experiences the typical symptoms of vaginal atrophy that deeply affect sexual function and the quality of their life. Vulvo-Genitourinary syndrome of menopause can occur both as a consequence of natural menopause and of Induced menopause, following the removal of the ovaries, as well as of medical conditions that require pelvic radiation therapy or chemotherapy. with subsequent alteration of the ovarian function. While hot flushes and night sweat naturally disappear overtime, the symptoms associated with vaginal and urethral atrophy often get worse and, in most cases, require targeted treatment. The decline in oestrogen levels associated with menopause is closely linked to: Morphological alterations of the epithelium of the vaginal mucosa Reduction of blood flow and of vaginal secretion (vaginal dryness) Decrease of vaginal lactobacilli and increase of vaginal pH levels It is necessary to examine all of these changes more closely so as to get a better understanding of this problem.