What is Vaginal Laxity and how to deal with it?

October 2016 | Reading time: 2 minutes

Vaginal laxity is one of the most common yet overlooked health concerns among women. Childbirth, ageing, and certain medical conditions affect collagen levels in the skin and vaginal tissue, creating a feeling of looseness. Women dealing with this problem may also experience decreased libido, loss of sexual arousal, and reduced sexual satisfaction during intercourse. Fortunately, there are ways to treat vaginal laxity and improve your quality of life.

What Causes Vaginal Laxity?

A study conducted on over 400 women who had vaginal deliveries has found that over 50 percent reported vaginal laxity. However, Most patients rarely talk about this issue with their gynaecologist or physician. Some are too embarrassed to bring it up, while others believe it’s a normal process. Lately, more and more women are having vaginal reconstruction surgery to fix this problem.

Vaginal laxity occurs when the vaginal and introital issues stretch as a result of childbirth or ageing. Laxity leads to loss of lubrication in the vaginal area, inability to attain an orgasm, and decreased sensitivity during intercourse. Other possible causes include excessive sexual activity, trauma to the vagina, certain genetic disorders, menopause, and multiple vaginal births. Research indicates that about 76 percent of women will experience this problem at some point.

Treatment Options for Vaginal Looseness

This condition can be treated with surgery or less invasive methods, such as Kegel exercises, herbal creams, and sprays. Kegels are especially beneficial for women dealing with both vaginal laxity and bladder incontinence. The most widely used surgical procedures for vaginal laxity include labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, hymenoplasty, and perineoplasty. About 95 percent of patients experience significant improvements following mucosal vaginal tightening.

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) vaginal tightening is available at VIVO Body Studio.

Due to the advancements in technology, new treatments options are being developed. Radiofrequency ablation, vaginal cones, and CO2 fractional laser therapy show promising results. The same goes for temperature controlled radiofrequency, which helps treat both vaginal looseness and stress incontinence. In mild cases, tightening creams appear to be effective. These products contain estrogenic compounds that increase blood flow to the vagina and improve skin elasticity.