Reproductive health: comprehensive services for your wellbeing at SHA Wellness Clinic’s Sexual Health unit

Reproductive health is a basic pillar in the quality of life of both women and men. What happens during pregnancy, childbirth, puerperium, and breastfeeding will affect women for better or worse throughout their lives. For men, fertility problems and erectile dysfunction often have an impact on self-esteem. It is worth investing time and care in these areas of health.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), reproductive health is the state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing in matters relating to sexuality and reproduction throughout all stages of life. It implies that people can have a safe and satisfying sex life, the ability to bear children and the freedom to decide if and when to so. Both men and women have the right to be informed and to have access to safe and effective methods of fertility regulation (…)

SHA Wellness Clinic has invested in the best technology to alleviate the symptoms that interfere with reproductive health, to revitalise blood circulation in certain areas, and to strengthen the musculature involved in good reproductive health.

Pelvic floor rehabilitation is one of the strategies that improves urinary incontinence in both men and women, and alleviates some menopausal symptoms that detract from the quality of sexual intercourse.

High Intensity Induction Therapy is a versatile treatment that has proven effective in strengthening the pelvic floor in both men and women. “This therapy consists of emitting high intensity magnetic waves that are applied to different areas of the body with therapeutic intent. The machine consists of a handpiece and a chair where the patient sits to receive magnetic impulses in the pelvic floor area. These magnetic impulses stimulate nerve cells, skeletal muscle, and blood vessels with an anti-inflammatory, toning, and regenerative effect”, explains Dr. Anna Baeza, coordinator of Medical Services and Natural Therapies at the SHA Wellness Clinic.

High Intensity Inductive Therapy is effective in both women and men. The most common condition in women is pelvic floor weakness after pregnancy and childbirth. “The main problem caused by a weak pelvic floor is urinary incontinence. In fact, it is very common for women over 40 to have some stress incontinence. The weakness of the pelvic floor can cause prolapse of the uterus and bladder, two organs that should be supported by this musculature”, explains Baeza. In just a few sessions, this therapy strengthens the weakened pelvic floor and substantially improves urine loss.

The treatment is so versatile that it is also effective for women with the opposite problem: hypertonia of the vaginal muscles, “a syndrome characterised by a closed vagina, which has lost its elasticity and is often the cause of painful sexual intercourse. The same technique, although with a different programme, is useful to relax this rigid musculature”, says Dr Baeza.

For men, High Intensity Induction Therapy is useful for a very common problem after the age of 40: urinary incontinence. “After 40, the prostate gradually thickens and benign prostatic hypertrophy develops, which can lead to urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. With this therapy, the pelvic floor is strengthened and this condition is substantially improved. In addition, due to its toning and regenerating effect on the blood vessels, it can also improve the quality of erections”, explains the specialist from the Sexual Health unit of SHA Wellness Clinic.

Another very effective option available at SHA Wellness Clinic’s Sexual Health unit is the fractional CO₂ laser, which regenerates the collagen of the vaginal mucosa and improves sensitivity and sexual pleasure. “The beam of light causes thermal damage to the mucosa of the vagina which, when it recovers, stimulates the production of collagen and achieves major benefits for women”, explains Dr. Anna Baeza.

During menopause, a drop in oestrogen levels can cause genitourinary syndrome, which results in dryness and atrophy of the vagina, as well as laxity and urinary incontinence. The fractional CO₂ laser works effectively to improve these symptoms.

For erectile dysfunction, the new unit has an effective treatment that is already recommended by all urological medical societies: shockwave therapy, recommended to treat erectile dysfunction. Shockwaves have been used in urological practices for several years for the treatment of urinary calculi (kidney stones). This same physical principle, but with low-energy, high-frequency waves, has proven to be effective in improving erectile dysfunction.

According to Dr Baeza, the technique consists of a hammer that delivers minute blows to the penis for 15 minutes. It consists of low-intensity radio waves that go about 40 millimetres deep. “This represents a controlled attack on the blood vessels to stimulate their regeneration and create new ones.

“Erection occurs because there is a concentration of blood during arousal that fills the corpora cavernosa of the penis. This therapy enhances that action”, Baeza explains.

The main mechanism by which shockwaves work is the formation of new blood vessels in the erectile tissue and the enhancement of the relaxation of the vascular endothelium. The aim is to improve blood circulation, which may be impaired by the impact of pathologies, such as diabetes or the side effects of medication.