The short version
FDA warned in 2018 that no energy-based device is cleared or approved for vaginal rejuvenation and that serious harms were reported. Later sham-controlled trials have not shown the promised benefit for menopausal symptoms.
What the cost figure means
No reliable national estimate. Sold as a series of 3 or more sessions plus maintenance, self-pay. No society publishes an average.
Advertised prices on file
$750–$1,100 per session; $2,000–$4,350 per series
Forma V and ThermiVa sessions and three-session series across three menus.
Read from 3 published U.S. clinic menus on September 1, 2026. A convenience sample, not a national survey: prices vary by city and provider, packages are usually cheaper per session, and menus change without notice.
Total course = per-session fee × planned sessions + consultation + product, cartridge, or serum + anesthesia or facility + prescriptions and aftercare + expected maintenance. Ask for the plan price in writing.
Healing and results timeline
- Appointment
- About 20–45 minutes
- Downtime
- None to a few days of discomfort; abstain from intercourse briefly
- Healing
- Mild discharge, spotting, or discomfort for a few days after laser; radiofrequency usually causes none.
- Results appear
- Claimed at weeks to months; not consistently shown against sham
- Duration and maintenance
- Marketed as needing annual maintenance
Benefits, limitations, and risks
Realistic benefits
- Non-surgical
- Little downtime
- Some patients report symptom relief in uncontrolled studies
Limitations
- Not shown to beat sham treatment
- Series and maintenance cost
- Marketed uses exceed device clearances
Common effects
- Discharge or spotting
- Burning or discomfort
- Temporary swelling
Serious risks
- Burns and scarring
- Persistent pain or pain with intercourse
- Recurring symptoms or infection
Candidacy and pause signs
Usually considered for: The evidence does not identify a group that clearly benefits. Menopausal symptoms and urinary leakage have better-supported treatments to try first.
You have not been evaluated for the underlying symptom, you are being promised tightening or sexual enhancement, you have an active infection or pelvic floor disorder, or the provider is not a gynecologist or trained physician.
Operator, setting, and regulation
Who performs it in the U.S.: Gynecologists, urogynecologists, and some dermatologists or plastic surgeons; the treatment is often promoted in medical spas, where the FDA warning is most relevant.
Regulatory status: FDA stated in July 2018 that it had not cleared or approved any energy-based device for vaginal rejuvenation and sent letters to manufacturers about deceptive marketing. Devices remain cleared only for their general gynecologic indications.
Rules differ by state and by country. A product approved in one market may be unapproved in another, and the same device can be used within or outside its cleared indication.
Questions to ask before you pay a deposit
- What is this device actually cleared for, and how does that match what you are promising?
- What sham-controlled evidence supports it for my symptom?
- Have we tried the standard treatment for my symptom first?
Sources on file
These links support the claims above. Reviewed September 1, 2026. Where a figure comes from a survey, the caveat is in the file, not in a footnote.
- U.S. FDA — letters to industry, including 2018 energy-based 'vaginal rejuvenation' device letters (opens in a new tab)InMode letter dated July 24, 2018
- Am J Obstet Gynecol 2023 — vaginal histology before and after fractional CO2 laser: double-blind sham-controlled RCT (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)
- Climacteric 2025 — laser for genitourinary syndrome of menopause: what we know (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)
- American Society for Dermatologic Surgery — vaginal rejuvenation devices (opens in a new tab)
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons — vaginal rejuvenation (opens in a new tab)