Care · By concern

Vaginal dryness at menopause: consultation, local treatments and laser, in Paris 16th

Vaginal dryness is no small detail of menopause: it burns, it makes intercourse painful, and it affects urinary life. This is the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, and it can be treated. At the practice, 42 avenue Mozart, Dr Chaima Gatri, OB-GYN and gynecological (gynaecological) surgeon, treats it as a reason for consultation in its own right: she examines, she explains, and the treatment is built with you. English-speaking practice.

Updated on 20 October 2026

Recognizing it

Dryness, burning, pain: the genitourinary syndrome of menopause

Falling estrogens (oestrogens) thin the lining of the vagina and vulva: the tissues lose their suppleness and their natural lubrication, and the vaginal flora changes. The urethra and the bladder respond to the same hormones: urinary symptoms belong to the same picture.

That last point is what sets them apart from hot flashes (flushes), and it is the reason to seek advice.

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Three settings

Three situations, one mechanism

Dryness goes with menopause. It also appears in two other periods of life when estrogen levels collapse — and it can be treated in all three.

The consultation

A conversation, an examination, explanations

The consultation begins with a conversation: how long the discomfort has lasted, what it prevents in daily life and in your intimate life, your history, your treatments, what you have already tried. Saying it plainly is enough.

Then comes the examination, explained step by step: examination of the vulva and the vagina, assessment of the lining, and a search for another cause that would call for its own treatment — infection, thrush, a vulvar skin condition — with a swab when it is useful. You leave with your prescriptions and the explanations that go with them, the printed report of every examination performed at the practice, and the menopause information document of the French Menopause Study Group (GEMVI): menopause information sheet.

Treatments

Treatments for vaginal dryness at the practice

Several treatments answer this discomfort. They are used alone or together; the choice is made with you, according to your history and how much the discomfort weighs.

  1. Local treatments — low-dose local estrogens, as pessaries, cream or capsules, restore thickness and suppleness to the lining; vaginal moisturizers maintain hydration over the long run; lubricants relieve at the time of intercourse.
  2. Laser at the practice — the Fotona TimeWalker® IntimaLaser™ PRO gynecological laser delivers controlled thermal energy to the lining, without incision: three 30-minute sessions, performed by Dr Gatri, under local anesthesia (anaesthesia), in the examination position. You leave straight away; for the 24 hours after a session: no baths, no swimming pool, no intercourse.
  3. Pelvic floor rehabilitation — at the practice, the StarFormer® IntimaWave® applicator works the pelvic floor by magnetic stimulation: six sessions over three weeks, 20 to 30 minutes each, seated and fully dressed, with no probe. It addresses urinary leaks.
The pelvis, side view (diagram). The vaginal wall, in pink, is the area treated by the laser. The bladder and the urethra lie in front of the vagina, the rectum behind it.
The treatment (diagram). The laser handpiece is inserted into the vagina; the laser acts on its wall (pink dots).

What is known and what is less well known about each of these treatments is set out on the Patient information and ethics page.

When to consult

What brings women to book an appointment

Frequently asked questions

Your questions, our answers

Does vaginal dryness go away on its own?

It worsens the longer menopause lasts, as long as it goes untreated. Several treatments are offered to relieve it; the choice is made with you according to your situation.

Intercourse is painful: what can be done?

A great deal. Lubricants relieve at the time of intercourse, moisturizers maintain the lining, local estrogens restore it in depth; the laser is offered as a hormone-free option, alongside these treatments or when they do not suit you*. The consultation also looks for another cause of pain, so as to treat it at the same time.

Do I have to take hormones?

That is one possibility among others. Low-dose local estrogens act exactly where the discomfort is; moisturizers, lubricants, the laser and pelvic floor rehabilitation contain no hormones at all. The choice is made with you.

I have had breast cancer: what can I use?

Dryness is frequent on aromatase inhibitors and on tamoxifen, and it deserves treatment. The place of hormones, local ones included, is decided with your oncologist. Moisturizers and lubricants, hormone-free, are offered first; the laser, also hormone-free, is offered when they are not enough.

How many laser sessions, and does it hurt?

The protocol is three 30-minute sessions, under local anesthesia; the interval between them is set with Dr Gatri. The session takes place in the examination position; what you feel is explained at the preliminary consultation.

Does the laser replace local treatments?

It is added to them. Local treatments, with or without hormones, come first; the laser is offered alongside them, or when they do not suit you, after information on its possible after-effects (see the Gynecological laser page). Patients followed at the practice most often describe an improvement in their comfort. At the consultation Dr Gatri sets out local treatments and the laser; the choice is made with you.

After childbirth, does the dryness last?

It goes with the period when estrogens are low, and breastfeeding prolongs it; it eases when cycles return. There is no point in waiting: moisturizers and lubricants make the return to intercourse easier.

Is it covered, and how do I book?

In part. The consultation and the examinations performed at the practice are partly covered by the French health insurance (Assurance maladie). The practice applies direct billing to the French national health insurance (tiers payant): with an up-to-date carte Vitale, you do not pay that part upfront. What remains payable by you includes the excess fee (dépassement d'honoraires), which may be reimbursed by your complementary insurer (mutuelle), depending on your policy. Local treatments are medications reimbursed under the rules in force. Appointments are booked on Doctolib with Dr Gatri, or through the secretariat.

Fees

Fees and reimbursement

Fee: laser session €350, at the practice, with no anesthesiologist and no clinic charges. All fees: Fees.

* What is known about this treatment: Patient information and ethics — What is known, and what is known less.

Appointments

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42 avenue Mozart, Paris 16th

Appointments can be booked online via Doctolib or by telephone through the secretariat.

Book an appointment on Doctolib