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Your Vaginal Health After Childbirth (and What to Do About It)
The truth is after childbirth, your vagina may never be the same. Then again, after you have a child, very little in your life remains the same. Fortunately, when it comes to your vagina’s health and appearance, you can restore your vagina to its prebirth state.
At Female Health Associates of North Texas, Dr. Jeffrey Hantes offers vaginal restoration procedures that can help tighten vaginal laxity and modify the changes to your vaginal appearance that can happen after you birth your baby.
Postpartum vaginal changes
After carrying your baby for nine months, the changes to your belly are apparent, including stretch marks and excess weight. While you can lose the baby weight with some effort and reduce the appearance of stretch marks, some changes happen to your vaginal area as well.
The state of your vagina after birth depends on several things, including:
- How you gave birth (vaginally or by cesarean)
- The duration of labor and pushing
- The size and position of your baby
- Previous pregnancies
- Genetics
With each subsequent pregnancy, your vagina stretches a bit more.
Long-term vaginal changes
In many cases, your vaginal area returns to its pre-pregnancy state. However, for some, it doesn’t. Depending on the factors listed above, you may experience the following long-term changes to your vaginal area and sexual health:
- A change in its color
- Scarring if you had an episiotomy
- Loss of vaginal wall muscle tone
- Widening of your vaginal opening
- Incontinence
- Sexual problems
Lifestyle changes and time can help with many of these issues. But, if you continue to have issues related to postpartum vaginal changes, Dr. Hantes offers vaginal restoration procedures that can help resolve many of your problems.
Vaginal restoration options after childbirth
Kegel exercises, the squeezing and releasing of your pelvic muscles, can help some women boost their vaginal muscle tone to help improve laxity and incontinence. While Kegels can’t hurt, they don’t provide enough help for many women.
Vaginal restoration procedures are an effective way to treat many vaginal health and appearance issues. The MonaLisa Touch® intravaginal laser therapy, for example, is a nonsurgical procedure that can help tighten vaginal laxity and reduce vaginal dryness and incontinence.
If you’re unhappy with the way your vaginal area looks, surgical restorative procedures can relieve discomfort, boost self-confidence, and improve the appearance of your vagina. These procedures include vaginoplasty, labiaplasty, and clitoral hood reduction.
To learn more about vaginal restoration procedures that can help after childbirth, contact Female Health Associates to make an appointment with Dr. Hantes. He can discuss your issues, medical history, and goals and recommend the best treatment options to help you achieve optimal vaginal health.