Taking care of your intimate health after childbirth with Dr Rosy Fazzi
Sponsored post in partnership with Dr Nestor’s Medical & Cosmetic Centre
For many women, pregnancy and childbirth is a wonderful, life-affirming and, of course, life-changing, experience.
But many women don’t know about the after-effects of both pregnancy and childbirth; physical changes that make going back to your ‘old’ life harder than you had imagined, and that affect both your physical self and your emotional wellbeing, even decades later.
We’re talking about vaginal laxity and incontinence: two taboo subjects that most women don’t speak about for fear of humiliation, or that they’re alone in their suffering. Whether it’s a sense of looseness ‘down there’ or the incessant need to pee with embarrassing regularity, these issues affect up to 70% of women in the UK and are most prevalent in women who have had children.
Dr Rosy Fazzi, the women’s health doctor at Edinburgh’s award-winning Medical & Cosmetic Centre, is on a mission to help women feel empowered after having children. She wants to help her patients get back to their physical best, so that they can enjoy feeling confident and in control again, and enjoy a full and healthy life without embarrassment or fear.
Dr Rosy performs the revolutionary ThermiVa treatment at the clinic’s Women’s Health department; a pioneering radiofrequency treatment which stimulates collagen production, tightening the vaginal canal and improving the look and feel of the intimate area within just three sessions. Using a radiofrequency wand, the width of a finger, each thirty-minute session is a painless experience that can make a life-changing difference.
“Many of my patients are women in their forties and fifties,” explains Dr Rosy. “They have had their children, but for most, they’ve been living with intimate health issues for years – whether that’s an unsatisfying sex life that’s affecting their confidence and their relationship, or whether it’s the need to pee that’s disrupting their daily life or their sleep. These issues are enormous and we need to open up the conversation around them, so that women feel empowered to speak to their healthcare professionals and undergo treatments that can fix these issues, without fear or embarrassment.”
And when it comes to the treatment itself, what can patients expect?
“Patients stay awake for the entirety of the session and they can spend that time however they want to; some talk to me throughout as I perform the treatment, others get comfy and settle in for an episode of Sex and The City. Once patients get over the initial awkward five minutes of undressing in front of a doctor, they feel much more at ease and relax quickly. I like to give them the sense that we’re all in this together, that they’re not alone – I find that this really helps to calm any nerves and relax every patient I see.
“By the third session, most greet me like an old friend and they laugh and chat away about how they’re looking forward to the results. When I receive testimonials back from patients, showing the difference this treatment has made to their everyday life, it really highlights for me how important it is that we speak about female intimate health issues, so that many more women have access to this treatment and can go back to enjoying their lives fully again.”
Sounds great, but is it really as effective as it seems? We spoke to two of Dr Rosy’s patients to find out how they found the experience - names have been changed to protect patient confidentiality.
Julie, 53, is a mother of three children. Prior to undergoing ThermiVa, Julie had been plagued with a sensitive bladder and recurring urine infections for the past twenty years. At the end of her tether, Julie confided in a close friend, who told her that she had recently undergone a ThermiVa course with Dr Rosy, and that it might be able to help Julie too.
After having her children in her 30s, Julie felt that pelvic floor exercises hadn’t been effective enough, and that she was experiencing a ‘loose’ sensation, alongside her bladder issues. After reading up on ThermiVa, she felt that she would also benefit from the tightening elements the treatment offers, and that she could use the treatment as a measure to prevent possible future incontinence too. Here is her story:
“ThermiVa was recommended to me by a friend of mine who had previously had the treatment. Dr Rosy talked me through the treatment every step of the way; she asked me for a detailed history of my problems and why I felt like I needed this treatment, and explained how it could help my various issues, which put me at ease and helped me to feel confident in my decision.
“When it came to the procedure itself, I felt at ease despite my nerves. I found the first course uncomfortable, but definitely not painful. Afterwards, I expected to be sore, but I didn’t feel anything at all, and happily went about my day as normal. The literature I read was correct – you really could have this done in your lunch hour! I had some very mild cramping later in the evening, but that was all. Treatment number two was less uncomfortable, and by the third treatment, I felt no discomfort at all.
“Dr Rosy explained to me that the full results will be felt six to nine months after the treatment – however, I started to notice a dramatic difference after just three weeks. Twelve weeks after the first treatment, I noticed that I no longer had a sensitive bladder – and since, I’ve not once felt the need to take a preventative antibiotic for an oncoming urine infection. I don’t feel the need to pass urine as much as I did during the day previously, and I no longer wake up at night needing to use the bathroom. I didn’t expect such an improvement so quickly; I have noticed that things feel tighter internally, and I can see a visible difference too, where everything looks more youthful. ThermiVa is expensive, however I would absolutely recommend it. It’s one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Lucy, 35, is a mother of two children. Before she decided to undergo a ThermiVa treatment, Lucy suffered with bladder weakness, brought on by two pregnancies/labours, which was exacerbated by exercise and physical activity. Aged just 35, she felt far too young to be suffering from incontinence issues and found her problem embarrassing.
Lucy looked into surgical options but decided against it, and then through her research, found out about ThermiVa, a non-surgical alternative. This is her story.
“I have two children, aged 12 and 8, but it was after my second baby that I started to suffer with bladder weakness, especially whilst I was exercising. I found it embarrassing and worrying, I didn’t want to talk about it with anyone. I started to look into treatments to treat the issue, and I wanted a treatment that was discreet and effective. When I found out about ThermiVa, I decided to go ahead as it was a non-surgical intervention.
“I found that the treatment was not only non-invasive, but quick and effective too, and for me, it was a 100% positive experience. After the three sessions, I found that I can now exercise without the risk or embarrassment of bladder weakness – ‘down there’ feels much stronger and I don’t worry about leakage or embarrassing moments anymore.”