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Renew & Restore Intimacy & Control

Let’s talk about it, ladies. You know what we’re talking about – it’s that subject we keep to ourselves and sometimes only talk to our gynecologist about.  We’re talking about your feminine wellness and the many issues women face after childbirth, menopause, or just over time as our more intimate areas start to change. Let’s have a serious discussion about your feminine health and the options available to you with the ThermiVa® Treatment of vaginal rejuvenation.
Renew & Restore Intimacy & Control
Featured Speaker:
Katrina Mattek, PA-C, MPAS
Katrina Mattek earned her Master of Physician Assistant Studiesdegreefrom the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She is certified by the National Commission onCertification of Physician Assistants. She is also amember of the Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants and the American Academy of Physician Assistants.Mattek has special interests in breast reconstruction, breast surgery, facial rejuvenation,and skin care.
Transcription:
Renew & Restore Intimacy & Control

Caitlin Whyte: Welcome to Aspirus Health Talk. I'm Caitlin Whyte. And let's get right to it, ladies. You know what we're talking about? It's that subject we keep to ourselves and sometimes only talk to our gynecologist about. We're talking about your health and vaginal rejuvenation today with Katrina Mattek, a plastic surgery aesthetics physician assistant at Aspirus.

All right. So Katrina, I myself don't know much about vaginal rejuvenation. Can you start us off by telling us generally what this means?

Katrina Mattek: So the ThermiVa is an in-office procedure that uses radiofrequency that generally heats the tissues in order to stimulate your own collagen growth and cause improvement in skin laxity and looseness.

Caitlin Whyte: And when it comes to the patients that come in for this, are they mostly like cosmetic procedures or are there other conditions that they're seeking out help for?

Katrina Mattek: So the ThermiVa is FDA approved for vaginal and labia majora tightening, but it has been seen to have other benefits as well. So there are other benefits such as improvement in urinary incontinence, sexual stimulation, vaginal dryness. So it is more than just a cosmetic look to the vagina itself.

Caitlin Whyte: Now, let's talk more about sexual health. How does this procedure help with your sex life?

Katrina Mattek: It can help improve vaginal dryness so that you can have more lubrication, which will help with the sexual experience. Women have also reported and noticed an improvement in stimulation. So both of those have added to the sexual experience that women report having an improvement in.

Caitlin Whyte: So when I sign up for the ThermiVa treatment, I mean, what should I expect when I come in for the actual procedure?

Katrina Mattek: On the day of the procedure, we will go through your past medical history. We always want to make sure that you have a normal pelvic exam and a normal Pap smear in the past two years. We want to make sure that you do not have any current vaginal infections, also review if you have a history of those. So we want to make sure that you are a candidate first off.

Then the procedure itself, so it's similar to a pelvic exam. A handheld hand piece is used to gently heat up the tissues, both external and internal if you choose to, depending on what your symptoms are. And the procedure itself takes about 30 to 45 minutes. Overall, it is tolerated very well. There is very little to any discomfort. If anything, some people notice it can get kind of warm, but then we just add more lubricants and adjust the temperature so that it's most comfortable for the patients. But generally 30 to 45 minutes, tolerated very well and pretty much painless.

Caitlin Whyte: And then what does recovery look like? Do I just walk out of the office?

Katrina Mattek: Yes, walk out of the office. There is no downtime. You don't have to wait to do anything afterwards. Some women might notice a little light bleeding after, spotting. But other than that, there is no downtime.

Caitlin Whyte: Beautiful. So just wrapping up here, you know, for those who do qualify, why would you recommend this for those patients?

Katrina Mattek: Any patient that is looking for vaginal rejuvenation, if they are self-conscious, if there's something that's bothering them, this is an overall procedure that is tolerated very well with pretty low risk of any side effects. Most common side effects are redness and swelling of the issues, but that's kind of something we're looking for because we want to stimulate that collagen growth in the tissues.

But it's something that is well tolerated. It's an in-office procedure with no downtime. So anyone that's looking to either improve urinary incontinence or increase their sexual experience, those are all other benefits of the ThermiVa, including on top of what it's approved for, so the vaginal and labia majora tightening of the skin.

So if you've had multiple children or just with aging process, the vagina can lose some of its structure and become more lax. And this can definitely help those people that want to improve that.

Caitlin Whyte: It sounds like such a great option for women to have and consider. Is there anything else you want to add?

Katrina Mattek: Typically, you have three treatments that are spaced about a month apart. Some people notice improvement after the first one, but we do recommend having all three to notice the maximum benefits you can get from the ThermiVa. So that is also something to keep in mind too.

Caitlin Whyte: Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Katrina. And thank you for listening to Aspirus Health Talk.

To learn more, you can call (715) 870-2162. Or you can visit us online at aspirus.org/renew. If you call soon during the month of February 2021, you get 20% off your treatment.

Please also remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all of the other Aspirus podcasts. For more health tips and updates, follow us on your social channels. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.