Hi all. For those who may be considering having the Botox treatment program for vaginismus in the coming year, there is an excellent description of what the procedure is like on Maze Women’s Sexual Health website.
Excerpts include:
“The procedure is done at the Westchester Ambulatory Surgical Center in Purchase, NY, only 10 minutes from our Purchase office.
On procedure day, the patient is prepped for surgery and given an IV and placed in a hospital gown.
Once in the surgical suite, the patient is put under conscious sedation for the procedure which takes approximately 20 minutes. Once the patient is under anesthesia, a full pelvic exam is performed and a pap test is obtained if indicated. Next, dilators are inserted into the vagina; this dilation starts the process of lengthening and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. After the progressive vaginal dilation, a speculum is inserted and the injections begin. The botulinum toxin is first injected, a total of 100 units, into the tense muscles. The doctor then injects a local anesthetic in the vaginal walls and vaginal entrance. Once the injections are completed, the largest vaginal dilator is inserted. The patient awakens with the dilator in place. There is a recovery and rest period after the procedure. During that time the patient is taught to remove and re-insert the dilators, and she is sent home with the dilators and instructions. It takes 2-5 days for the botulinum toxin to take full effect so the patient is encouraged to continue to use the dilators as much as possible for the first few days. There is a follow-up visit the next day and an individualized follow up treatment plan is developed.”
