Stop Leaking When You Laugh: The O-Shot® for Atlanta Women

There’s nothing funny about peeing a little when you laugh.

Or when you cough, sneeze, exercise, or lift something heavy. Yet a third of women over 60 suffer that indignity, at least sometimes.

The problem is known as stress incontinence. Certain activities put momentary pressure on the bladder, and weakened tissue and muscles (including the urinary sphincter) can no longer hold back that bit of urine as they normally would.

Can younger people have this pesky problem too?

In addition to advancing age, obesity, smoking, hysterectomy and vaginal childbirth are other common contributing factors. Do you exercise regularly to stay healthy? Ironically, that could be a factor as well.

Sanitary pads or adult diapers are often put to use for this problem, but can be an embarrassing hassle in themselves.

Keep in mind that the small leaks from stress incontinence are different from urgency incontinence and overactive bladder, which involve a sudden urge to fully urinate.

Can something be done about stress incontinence?

Glad you asked. The O-Shot utilizes the healing and growth factors produced in your own body to help restore tissue and muscles that once again keep things nice and dry.

The first step in the process is to draw some of your own blood, just like with any blood test. Then that blood is processed to increase the concentration of platelets, those little biological miracles that perform all kinds of healthy ongoing functions in the body.

That Platelet-Rich Plasma, or PRP, is then injected with tiny needles into various spots around the vagina. Any slight stinging sensation is generally offset by a numbing cream or a topical anesthetic.

The result? Rejuvenation.

Within a few weeks after the O-Shot, the healing and growth factors repair cell damage and even help grow new cells. Improved blood flow, nerve function and collagen production help everything work better. In a good majority of cases, stress incontinence becomes just an uncomfortable memory.

Like all good things, the benefits may not last forever. Some women return yearly to repeat the procedure.

Did we mention there’s a bonus to the O-Shot procedure?

In case you haven’t guessed, the ‘O’ in O-Shot is a reference to orgasms that may likely now be stronger, and significantly easier to achieve. (This was the original purpose of the procedure, with the ‘leak repair’ as a fortunate side effect).

Many women report generally improved sexual sensitivity and arousal, reversing the typical slow slide in this area over the years. A measure of natural lubrication may also be restored, countering the vaginal dryness that can make sex uncomfortable or even painful.

However, variations in individual physiology and chemistry make doctors cautious about making specific promises to individual women.

Anything else to know?

The whole visit to the doctor can be completed during a lunch hour. Although you may want to take it easy immediately afterwards (and avoid sex for a few days), there’s really no down-time as with some other medical procedures. You’ll receive additional information about what to expect before you leave.

An O-Shot is considered a safe procedure, with no known side effects, as long as it’s conducted by a medical staff that’s trained and certified to perform it.