FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who performs the Genityte procedure?
The Genityte procedure is performed by gynecology physicians and supervised midlevel providers working under gynecology physicians.  All physicians/midlevels performing this procedure must complete training to become Certified Genityte Providers.

What can I expect during a Genityte procedure?
The treatment is done in a physician’s office.  It takes 1 hour for a standard Genityte procedure (pelvic floor) and 1.5 hours for an expanded Genityte procedure (pelvic floor plus vaginal vault).  An infrared light device is used to gently heat the treatment area without pain or burning. There is no recovery time, no redness, no pain and no negative effects during or after the procedure.

What are the risks of the Genityte procedure?
There are virtually no risks.  There has never been a case report of injury of any kind from Genityte.  Infrared light stimulates a natural process of fibroblasts repairing skin, muscle and connective tissue.  The urethra, skin, urinary system or external genitals have never been harmed from the standardized Genityte procedure.

Special consideration for patients with genital herpes:
If you have a history of genital herpes, the gentle heat used in the Genityte treatment could cause a recurrent herpes breakout; therefore prescription medication for herpes is recommended before Genityte treatments for prevention.

What if I had previous surgery for Urinary Incontinence or Vaginal Prolapse?
Genityte is a very effective treatment for patients with prior surgery (or surgeries) that have failed or stopped working. A prior history of the surgical ‘sling’ procedure is not a contraindication for the Genityte procedure, as long as foreign material from the sling is not eroding through the skin.  If suture or mesh material are eroding through the urethral or vaginal skin, the material may need to be surgically removed prior to Genityte procedures.

How many Genityte procedures are needed to reach treatment goal for Urinary Incontinence?
The severity and frequency of urinary leaking and your age determine how many treatments you will need.

• Younger women/pre-menopause = average 2-3 treatments
• Middle-age women/peri-menopause = average 3-5 treatments
• Older women/post-menopause = average 4-6 treatments

How far apart are treatments spaced?
For patients who are expected to need 1 or  2 treatments;
The protocol is 1 treatment followed by 4 weeks of rest while the body goes to work repairing structural integrity of the pelvic floor, then evaluate at the end of 4 weeks and repeat above protocol until treatment goal is reached.

For patients who are expected to need 3, 4 or more treatments;
The protocol is 2 treatments in two consecutive days (or in the same week) followed by 4 weeks of rest while the body goes to work repairing structural integrity of the pelvic floor, then evaluate at the end of 4 weeks and continue one treatment followed by 4 weeks of rest until treatment goal is reached.

*Spacing treatments greater than 4 months apart has shown to reduce retention of treatment benefit and increase the number of treatments required to reach treatment goal.

When will I have results from Genityte treatments?
Most women report less frequent urges and/or less leaking of urine after their 2nd or 3rd Genityte treatments. With each treatment, done in series, urinary urges and urinary leaking continue to improve.

How will I know when I have reached my treatment goal for Genityte?
Your Genityte provider will re-examine you 6-8 weeks after your last Genityte treatment.  If urinary leaking and urinary urges are consistently much better (or fully resolved) and on examination your urethra is no longer mobile then you have reached your treatment goal.

How effective is Genityte™ in treating urinary incontinence?
Genityte consistently gives improvement of stress and urge urinary incontinence symptoms in women of all ages. Some women achieve complete resolution of incontinence after Genityte treatments, 8/10 with Stress Urinary Incontinence and nearly 6/10 with Mixed Urinary Incontinence.

How effective is Genityte™ in treating vaginal wall prolapse?
Genityte consistently gives improvement of Cystocele, Rectocele and Vaginal Vault Prolapse (both Cystocele and Rectocele).

• Cystocele:  The majority of women report resolution of the pressure and discomfort from prolapsing tissue and most are able to return to a more active lifestyle.
  
  
• Rectocele:  The majority of women report improvement in feeling the urge that signals a bowel movement, improvement in muscle function eliminating the need for splinting during bowel movements, and overall improvement in coordination of bowel movements.
  
  
• Vaginal Vault Prolapse:  All of the benefits of cystocele and rectocele improvement plus many women report that sexual intercourse is more comfortable with toning of the prolapsing vaginal walls.

How effective is Genityte™ in treating Rectal Incontinence?
Genityte consistently gives improvement of rectal tone for gas and stool control.  All women with rectal incontinence have reported improvement in rectal tone for holding.  Most women achieve greatly reduced or complete resolution of rectal incontinence after Genityte treatments.

How long does the structural improvement and tone last after treatment endpoint?
Two key factors affecting how long the tone and support lasts after completing Genityte treatments are a woman’s age and estrogen support.  Younger women have skin which seems to allow longer retention of the toning effect.  Younger women, not yet in menopause, produce estrogen which positively affects skin tone and they also have skin that is more abundant in structural components, elastin and collagen.

Preliminary clinical data suggests that women can retain full Genityte toning from 12 months to beyond 36 months.  When patients have reported pelvic floor tone beginning to decrease, it happens gradually, usually over 4-7 months.  Although not as common, a few women have experienced trauma to the urethra (catheterization) or accidental trauma to the pelvic floor (impact injury) and reported a sudden change in their Genityte tone with worsening of their urinary control.

Having additional Genityte treatment(s) when toning begins to decrease is both safe and effective.  Clinically, the total treatments needed for re-toning have been less than the number needed in the original treatment series.  Data comparing retention of pelvic tone for menopausal women using estrogen vs no estrogen applied topically to the external treatment area is in process.

• Younger women/pre-menopause = 28 or more months (full retention)
• Middle-age women/peri-menopause = 18 to 26 months (full retention)
• Older women/post-menopause = 12 to 18 months (full retention)

Are Kegel exercises recommended after Genityte treatments?
Yes, but only for certain patients.  Kegel exercises are NEVER recommended to be done during the series of Genityte treatments because they can make urges worse, and interfere with results.  Exercises for the pelvic floor are specifically recommended for patients with Vaginal Wall Prolapse and Rectal Incontinence, but not for patients with Stress and Urge Incontinence.

Six (6) to Eight (8) weeks after the final Genityte treatment, a program of pelvic floor toning can be customized for certain patients by your Genityte provider. Pelvic floor exercises are done with the pelvis elevated on an inflatable wedge.  These Wedge Exercises have proven to help maintain pelvic/vaginal/anal muscle tone.  Many women have reported ongoing improvement in vaginal wall/rectal muscle tone when doing these exercises consistently.  Just one 10 minute exercise session is recommended, every other day.

What exercises are recommended after Genityte treatments?

What are the advantages of the Genityte procedure compared to surgical treatment for incontinence?

• Genityte tones the entire pelvic floor from pubic bone to tailbone treating three common problems: urinary leaking, vaginal wall prolapse and rectal leaking.
• Genityte is the only medical treatment that can treat both stress and urge incontinence.
• Genityte gives a non-surgical treatment option for vaginal vault prolapse. 
• Genityte is the first non-surgical treatment for rectal incontinence.
• Genityte gives excellent results with no surgery, no recovery time, no activity restrictions and no time off work.
• Genityte treats mild to severe urinary leaking so patients can be proactive in treating their symptoms; an excellent service for early intervention or postpartum treatment.
• Genityte is ideal for patients with urinary leaking who are not ready for surgery or who are not surgical candidates.
• Unlike surgical treatment, Genityte treatments can be repeated without any complication if leaking returns in years to follow.