FabOverFifty partnered with vFit to help educate you about menopausal issues.
Bladder Weak,
Leak, Leak, Leak!
Vagina Dry,
Sigh, Sigh, Sigh!
–Geri Brin
I’m not sheepish to admit what’s happened to my body since menopause. While hot flashes didn’t torment me, incontinence and dehydrated vaginal tissue took the joy out of everything from shopping to sex. But since
launching Faboverfifty.com in 2010, and interviewing urologists to gynecologists, I’ve discovered that millions of women share my problems. I’ve also learned about ways to deal with them, from estrogen therapies to pelvic floor exercises, aka kegels. If you’re like me, however, you don’t have the patience to do countless kegels every single day. And, not every woman is a fan of estrogen.
Now a new device, called vFit, is the first noninvasive, hormone-free solution that uses a combination of LED red light, gentle heat and sonic technology to promote intimate wellness. You can use it in the privacy and comfort of your bedroom, it takes no effort, and it’s a pleasant experience!
“Vaginal dryness is caused by lack of blood flow to the area from low estrogen, and it’s prevalent in women in their late 40s and 50s. That’s when they start to complain to me about lack of lubrication with intercourse, even if their libidos are still great,” said Dr. Sarah de la Torre, a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist with a busy practice in Seattle, WA. “The vaginal tissue also becomes thinner, sometimes leading to pain during sex. And stress incontinence, which often begins after childbirth, worsens during the next decade. I talk to women all day long about these health and pelvic floor issues, and I run down their options, including kegels, physical therapy, or surgery,” Dr. de la Torre explained. “I was excited to learn that a women’s wellness product was being developed that would use low-level light therapy on vaginal tissue to improve intimate wellness.”
How vFit Works Its Magic
vFit is the brainchild of high-tech beauty executive and mother Colette Courtion, who designed it in partnership with leading gynecologists and experts in the field of laser and light science. Following the birth of her son, Colette realized there were few options available to help women feel like themselves again after going through life’s milestones. “I’ve spent most of my career working in medical aesthetics, and I thought ‘if we’re using lasers on our facial skin, why aren’t we using the same scientific principles for our pelvic floor.’ It was my ‘aha’ moment,” said 46-year-old Colette. Using personal insights from over 2,300 women about their intimate health experiences, and what they’d like to see in an at-home product, vFit was born. “We’re committed to improving the quality of life for the millions of women who suffer from common changes to their intimate wellness,” Colette added.
RED LIGHT (LED) TECHNOLOGY
The six UV-free red lights (LEDs) in vFit, powered to glow brightly, are completely safe and provide optimal results. While they are based on the same technology invented by NASA in the 1960s, and used in many aesthetic products today, vFit is the first to use red lights (LEDs) to help improve intimate wellness.
GENTLE HEAT
vFit emits a gentle heat intended to warm the vaginal tissue to encourage blood flow, as well as amplify the effectiveness of the LEDs. Most women report the heat is very pleasant and comfortable, but since every woman’s body is different, you should stop the session if you feel it’s too warm.
“As we age our tissue loses plumpness and elasticity, and gets more and more thin, so you may be more sensitive to heat than someone whose tissue is not as thin,” noted Dr. de la Torre. vFit recommends that you start with a six-minute session and work your way up to 10 minutes when your body becomes comfortable with the gentle heat.
SONIC TECHNOLOGY
vFit offers six sonic vibration modes with different vibration patterns. You can rotate through the series of patterns while you’re using vFit to decide which you like best. The last mode that you used for over one minute will be stored, and your next session with vFit will start at that mode.
Vibration, often used in sports medicine, puts mechanical stress on the tissue and muscles. “It’s the combination of that, plus the heat and the light, that make the magic happen,” said Dr. de la Torre. vFit should be used from four to six weeks, at least every other day, after which time it can be used about once a week to maintain results.
The Impressive vFit Results
In a third-party study, women who used vFit reported the following results after 60 days:
95% reported improved intimate wellness
89% experienced increased confidence with intercourse
89% felt increased sensation
100% reported feeling more emotionally connected to their partner
An ultra-concentrated, water-based gel–created to be used specifically with the device–is infused with moisturizing hyaluronic acid and aloe to help enhance your vFit performance and comfort.
vFit costs $495. Yes, the brand acknowledges that it’s an investment, but it’s an “investment in your own wellness, and it’s crucial to prioritize ourselves and our health as women,” Dr. de la Torre emphasized. “If you look at the cost of other items that women are buying, it far exceeds the cost of vFit,” she added. “ If you’re buying incontinence pads, for example, you’re probably spending about $1,000 a year. If you’re using hormone creams every month, you’re spending $80 a month on co-pay, which is average. But these are masking the problems, not really solving them. So again, this is an important investment for your mental well-being and overall health and wellness.”
