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Botulinum (Botox) Vaginal Injections in Charlottesville, VA
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What are Vaginal Botox Injections?
Vaginal Botox (botulinum toxin A) injections involve the use of botulinum toxin to help relax overactive or high tone and painful pelvic floor muscles. This treatment targets the muscles inside the vaginal canal that might be contributing to pain, tightness, or discomfort during intimacy, medical exams, or daily life. Injecting a small amount of Botox directly into these muscles can reduce muscular tone, reduce or eliminate pain and improve intimacy.
Our patients often come to us after trying other treatments without relief. Vaginal Botox offers a non-surgical option that can reduce your pain, and allow for further progress with pelvic floor physical therapy or allow sexual intercourse without pain.
Why are Vaginal Botox Injections done?
Our team might recommend vaginal Botox injections for patients experiencing ongoing pelvic pain or dysfunction when other treatments have failed. This treatment might help:
- Improve or eliminate pain during intercourse
- Ease vaginal tightness or burning sensations
- Support healing in patients with vaginismus or pelvic floor dysfunction
- Improve tolerance for pelvic exams or tampon use
- Reduce muscle spasms that affect quality of life
- Improve bladder or bowel symptoms caused by pelvic floor dysfunction
Who Needs Vaginal Botox Injections?
We often treat patients who have:
- Vaginismus
- Pelvic floor dysfunction that hasn’t responded to other therapies
- Persistent pain with intimacy or tampon use
- Difficulty completing a pelvic exam due to tightness
- A history of trauma or chronic pelvic pain
- Diagnoses like endometriosis or interstitial cystitis, where muscle involvement plays a significant role
What are the Risks?
Vaginal Botox injections are generally well-tolerated and carry minimal risks. Most of our patients experience only mild discomfort during or shortly after the procedure. Some temporary side effects can include:
- Vaginal soreness or pressure
- Light spotting
- Cramping or pelvic heaviness
Serious complications are rare, but as with any injection, there is a small risk of infection, bleeding, or unintended weakening of nearby muscles. We take every precaution to keep you safe, and we’re here to guide you through every step of your recovery.
What To Expect
If you’re found to be a good candidate for vaginal Botox, we’ll walk you through the entire process and answer any questions you have. We take the time to make sure you feel comfortable and fully informed before moving forward.
Injections can be done in two settings: in the operating room under conscious sedation or in the office.
Procedures done in the operating room
For procedures done in the operating room, you will be put to sleep with intravenous medication administered by an anesthesiologist so you will not feel or remember the procedure. The advantage of undergoing the procedure in the operating room is patient comfort. Your provider is likely to recommend this approach if you are very nervous, anxious, or would be unable to tolerate the procedure in the office due to pain. The disadvantage is there is more involved in planning and scheduling and there may be an associated higher cost for using an operating room.
Procedures done in the office
For injections done in the office, we will often prescribe a medication to take just before the procedure to decrease anxiety. During your appointment, your provider or a staff assistant will typically place a topical anesthetic gel (lidocaine) in the vagina to decrease sensation. This takes 15-20 minutes to work. A small needle is then used to inject Botox into the targeted areas.
The procedure usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, and you can return to most of your daily activities the same day. We recommend avoiding vaginal intercourse, tampon use, and vigorous exercise for about one week after treatment to allow your body to recover. Mild cramping, spotting, or a feeling of fullness in the pelvic area can occur, but these symptoms usually resolve within a few day.
Your provider will schedule a follow-up to check in on your progress and discuss how the treatment is working for you. Most of our patients start to feel the effects of vaginal Botox within 5 to 10 days, with full results developing over the next few weeks.
Why Choose The Center For Advanced Gynecology
The Center for Advanced Gynecology, established in 2018, is dedicated to improving your health by offering expertise in various areas, with a specific focus on gynecological care and advanced surgical techniques when surgery is needed. Our team provides specialized expertise in non-surgical treatment of chronic pelvic pain, painful intercourse, pudendal neuralgia, and vaginal, vulvar, and bladder pain. Since opening our doors, we have recognized the need in our community for more than just specialty care and have a growing practice in routine gynecologic care, cancer screening, Pap smears, menopausal management, hormonal imbalances, hormone replacement therapy, breast care, contraceptive care, urinary incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our patients often come to us after trying multiple options without relief. If you're experiencing chronic pelvic pain, painful intercourse, or difficulty with vaginal penetration, vaginal Botox might offer the relief you've been looking for. We’ll walk you through a full evaluation before recommending treatment.
Most patients tolerate the procedure well. We use a gentle technique and offer local anesthetic if needed. Additionally, there is the option of undergoing the procedure while under sedation in an operating room.
Many people start noticing changes in their pelvic floor muscles within 5 to 10 days. Full results usually develop over a few weeks, especially when the treatment is part of a broader care plan.
After a careful pelvic examination, your provider will inject a small amount of botulinum toxin into the affected areas. The goal is to reduce the tone of overactive muscle activity and reduce pelvic pain without affecting other nearby tissues.
We use this approach to help clients with conditions like vaginismus (vaginal muscle tightness), levator spasm (involuntary contraction of the pelvic muscles), vulvar vestibulitis syndrome (pain at the entrance of the vagina), and other types of pelvic floor dysfunction (issues with muscle coordination or tension) that interfere with sexual function or daily life.
Side effects are typically mild. Patients often report temporary spotting, cramping, or minor soreness in the vaginal area.
We often recommend botulinum toxin injections to patients with persistent high muscular tone, pain with intimacy, or difficulty tolerating vaginal exams that have not responded to other treatments. This approach often works especially well for those experiencing perineal spasm or vaginal muscle guarding that hasn’t improved with conservative care.
Muscle relaxants taken by mouth or placed vaginally have a limited duration of action of 6-12 hours and can affect the whole body and can cause many unwanted side effects. Vaginal Botox delivers focused relief right at the source of the pain and lasts for up to 3- 6 months.
Potentially, yes. Many of our patients choose vaginal Botox to reduce discomfort during sexual intercourse. As the perineal muscles relax and the spasms calm down, they often report better sexual function and even pain-free intercourse.
Yes. For our patients living with pelvic pain that doesn’t respond to physical therapy or other treatments, this option can bring real relief. After a vaginal examination, we identify which areas contribute to the discomfort—often due to involuntary contractions or tight muscles that are hard to relax on your own.
Yes. Clinical trials and studies in sex med literature have shown that Botox treatment can help patients suffering from muscle spasm, sexual dysfunction, pelvic floor tightness and chronic pelvic pain, and even conditions like stress urinary incontinence or fecal incontinence when linked to pelvic floor issues. However, it does not work for everyone.
Unfortunately, vaginal botox injections are not covered by most commercial, state or federal insurance carriers, but sources of payment such as an HSA or FSA can be used.