DIVA® OFFERS CANCER SURVIVORS A NON-HORMONAL MEANS TO ADDRESS INTIMATE CHALLENGES

Women diagnosed with breast cancer face significant challenges, with the disease and its treatment causing myriad impacts on a woman’s health. While successfully halting disease progression is the priority health goal upon diagnosis, many breast cancer patients must address its effects on many different elements of their overall health. An often-overlooked health impact breast cancer and its treatment have on women is how it can compromise their vaginal and sexual health. Not only does breast cancer and its treatment cause hormonal changes that affect the vagina during a woman’s battle to defeat the disease, but the impacts caused by these changes can persist even after the battle is won.

Naples-based internal medicine specialist Dr. Diane Brzezinski, D.O.,has helped hundreds of her southwest Florida-area patients address the intimate challenges that arise with a breast cancer diagnosis. She counsels her patients that they don’t have to accept a decline in vaginal function as an inevitable side effect of breast cancer and its treatment. And while hormone replacement therapy is typically not a suitable treatment option for breast cancer patients and survivors, diVa® Laser Vaginal Therapy has proven effective at revitalizing her patients’ vaginal and sexual health. Let’s examine how breast cancer and its treatment impair vaginal health and how diVa can restore it.

HOW BREAST CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT AFFECT VAGINAL HEALTH

While breast cancer can induce hormonal changes, treatment often involves purposeful reductions in estrogen levels due to their influence on promoting the cancerous growth of certain breast tumors. Whether due to the cancer or its treatment, estrogen depletion can cause vaginal dryness, vaginal wall thinning, painful intercourse, urinary incontinence, and lead to a higher risk of vaginal infections. Younger women who undergo chemotherapy often experience temporary menopause-like symptoms, with some going on to enter early menopause. Radiation treatment and surgery can also cause similar reactions in some younger women. Additionally, the stress and emotional toll of fighting the cancer typically decreases the patient’s sexual desire and exacerbates the menopause-like symptoms, further diminishing the libido.

Breast cancer patients and survivors who are unable to counteract these impacts on vaginal and sexual health with hormone therapy must seek other sources of symptom relief. While vaginal moisturizers and pelvic floor physical therapy can ease some of the pain and discomfort of their symptoms, they don’t address the underlying causes or treat the affected vaginal tissues. Enter diVa® Laser Vaginal Therapy.

HOW DIVA® HELPS RESTORE VAGINAL HEALTH

diVa® helps restore the vaginal health of breast cancer patients and survivors by using laser energy to resurface vaginal tissues, enhance the area’s blood flow, and induce collagen production. With fractional laser technology, a diode laser smooths and resurfaces surface-layer vaginal tissues while its Erbium laser penetrates the deeper tissues to promote collagen production. This dual action thickens and tightens vaginal tissues, boosts lubrication, and enhances sensation. While the therapy cannot halt the progression of menopause, it does offer cancer patients and survivors relief from their commonly experienced menopause-like symptoms, including:

• Vaginal dryness—diVa® enhances vaginal blood flow, which can boost lubrication.
• Vaginal laxity—by resurfacing vaginal tissue and stimulating collagen production, diVa® thickens and tightens vaginal walls.
• Painful sexual intercourse—the stronger vaginal walls and enhanced lubrication decreases the potential pain caused by prolonged friction.
• Difficulty achieving climax—increased vaginal blood flow can help stimulate the senses and entice arousal, boosting the capacity for orgasm.
• Urinary incontinence—the strengthened vaginal tissues allow for greater urethra compression to control urine flows.

DIVA® TREATMENT IN NAPLES WITH DR. B

Dr. B’s diVa® Laser Vaginal Therapy in Naples is quick, convenient, and causes minimal discomfort in her patients, who describe the laser action’s sensation as pressure against the vaginal walls. During the two-step process, Dr. B applies a topical anesthetic to the vaginal area and, once numb, inserts the laser wand into the vagina for three to five minutes. One treatment session can improve vaginal health and function and ease menopause-like symptoms, but Dr. B recommends that patients should schedule three sessions spaced four weeks apart to achieve optimal results. Once the session concludes, the patient is free to go and can resume most normal activities.

In addition to offering her breast cancer patients vaginal and sexual health rejuvenation via diVa®, Dr. B provides a compassionate, patient-centric, holistic approach to their treatment. Rather than just focusing on a distinct condition and/or symptoms, her whole-patient approach strives to optimize all elements of each patient’s health.

CONSULT WITH DR. B TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DIVA® IN NAPLES

Whether as a result of breast cancer or aging, learn how diVa® Laser Vaginal Therapy in Naples can revitalize your vaginal and sexual health by scheduling an appointment at Dr. B’s internal medicine practice at (239) 261-9990.