Pain, burning or soreness during sex, and the loss of sexual function that comes with it, is a use Alma names for FemiLift. Alma's product page says FemiLift is clinically proven to reduce pain during intercourse, and this is the use where the sham-controlled trials are split. We offer FemiLift for it and give the evidence as it is. Every treatment is given by Dr Marie Duggan, GMC 7488383, at Femilift Clinic London, 130 Harley Street, London, W1G 7JU, after a free consultation and examination.
What the trials found
- A gain over sham: a 2021 trial of 58 women found the proportion with dryness, pain during intercourse and sexual dysfunction significantly lower in the laser group than the sham group.
- No gain over sham on their main measures: trials of 30 women in 2021, 72 breast cancer survivors in 2023 and 34 women in 2025. In the last, daily dryness and the Vaginal Health Index improved with the laser.
- The 2024 review of 38 studies of treatments for laxity: sexual function improved after laser and radiofrequency in observational studies but not in randomised trials.
What the regulators say
In July 2018 the FDA said: "The safety and effectiveness of energy-based devices for treatment of these conditions has not been established." It added that it had not "cleared or approved for marketing any energy-based devices to treat these symptoms or conditions, or any symptoms related to menopause, urinary incontinence, or sexual function". The FemiLift laser is FDA-cleared in the US as a surgical laser, not for these conditions, and NICE's guidance on the laser for atrophy after the menopause says it "should only be used in the context of research".
How we plan it
In our practice Dr Marie Duggan examines you, with a smear test first, asks what the pain is and where, and refers you where an infection, a skin condition or another cause needs a diagnosis first. For pain from thinning after the menopause, vaginal oestrogen is the treatment NICE's menopause guideline says to offer, and the menopause page covers it. The course is two or three sessions initially in Alma's words, typically three at four to six weeks apart in NICE's, with the plan set at the consultation. The pain and sex page covers the recovery after each session, and the full guide the rest. The price is in writing at a free consultation, with a price match on any comparable written quote.
