{"id":47403,"date":"2026-04-11T06:55:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T06:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47403"},"modified":"2026-04-11T06:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T06:55:15","slug":"menopause-destroyed-amandas-sex-life-marriage-and-made-her-pile-on-weight-and-hrt-didnt-help-then-at-54-a-revolutionary-intimate-light-gadget-hailed-by-doctors-helped-her-regain-her-spark-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47403","title":{"rendered":"Menopause destroyed Amanda’s sex life, marriage and made her pile on weight – and HRT didn’t help. Then, at 54, a revolutionary intimate light gadget hailed by doctors helped her regain her spark. Now she says: ‘I’m my old self again’"},"content":{"rendered":"


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After years of white-hot flashes of rage she couldn’t explain, a low mood that never quite lifted and a sex drive that had all but disappeared, Amanda Fuller felt as though something in her life \u2013 and in herself \u2013 was unravelling.<\/p>\n

At home, the strain was beginning to show. Rows flared out of nowhere, small things spiralling into arguments she barely recognised as her own. The atmosphere grew brittle and unpredictable.<\/p>\n

Then, just before her 50th birthday, it broke.<\/p>\n

Her partner left, unable to cope with the constant tension \u2013 sending her spiralling ‘into the depths of despair’.<\/p>\n

It was that collapse, she says, that finally pushed her through the GP’s door.<\/p>\n

A quick consultation followed. She described the rage, the anxiety and the emotional flatness that had crept into everything. Antidepressants were prescribed. The word menopause<\/a> was never mentioned.<\/p>\n

‘I knew there was something else going on,’ the sports therapist recalls. ‘I was anxious, angry and I felt completely dead from the eyebrows down. But I wasn’t depressed.’<\/p>\n

For a while, she carried on in that limbo \u2013 medicated, but not understood.<\/p>\n

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Amanda, 53, initially thought it was the antidepressants that were dampening her sex drive. Then she realised she was experiencing menopause\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Then one evening, watching Davina McCall speak candidly about her own experience on Sex, Myths And The Menopause, something clicked into place.<\/p>\n

‘I was going through the menopause.’<\/p>\n

The realisation landed with a kind of clarity she hadn’t felt in years. She went back to her GP, this time with a sense of purpose \u2013 convinced she had finally found the missing piece.<\/p>\n

She was prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) \u2013 which replaces female sex hormones that fall as a woman ages, triggering symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, anxiety and vaginal dryness.<\/p>\n

Within four days, her mood began to lift. The fog thinned. The sharp edges softened.<\/p>\n

But one thing didn’t return. Her libido \u2013 once easy, instinctive \u2013 remained stubbornly out of reach.<\/p>\n

At first, Amanda, now 53, thought it might be the antidepressants dulling her desire. Then came the second realisation: this, too, was part of the menopause.<\/p>\n

In fact, matters only got worse. The weight crept on \u2013 a stone a year, she says \u2013 leaving her feeling ‘frumpy, old and slacker than ever’ after three years on HRT.<\/p>\n

When she raised her concerns about her sex drive with her doctor, the response stopped her cold.<\/p>\n

‘I mentioned my lack of libido,’ she says, ‘but he said it wasn’t a problem because I was single.<\/p>\n

‘I said I’d like to imagine somebody being interested in me again, at some point. I just couldn’t believe he said that.’<\/p>\n

She left the appointment disheartened, dismissed \u2013 and increasingly willing to try almost anything that might bring her back to herself.<\/p>\n

That’s when a Facebook advert appeared on her phone. The Issviva x Joylux \u2013 a \u00a3300 red light device claiming to rejuvenate intimate areas from the inside out.<\/p>\n

It might have been, she admits, a slightly impulsive purchase. But she says it changed everything.<\/p>\n

After having used it regularly for getting on for two years, Amanda says she finally has her spark back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I feel like my old self again,’ she says. ‘You know what they say \u2013 confidence is sexy, and I’ve now got buckets of it.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

So just what is the Issviva x Joylux \u2013 and, more importantly, is there any solid evidence it can deliver the kind of transformation women like Amanda describe?<\/p>\n

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\"Amanda <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Amanda says that she now feels confident to start dating again\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Davina <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Davina McCall spoke candidly about her own experience on Sex, Myths And The Menopause<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Issviva x Joylux is a \u00a3300 red light device claiming to rejuvenate intimate areas from the inside out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At its most basic, the device is a small, handheld wand designed to be used internally. It is inserted into the vagina and, once switched on, emits a combination of red and infrared light, alongside gentle heat and vibration.<\/p>\n

A typical session lasts between six and ten minutes. Women are advised to use it every other day for the first six to 12 weeks, then as needed. The company says many users find the sensation of warmth and vibration comfortable \u2013 even pleasurable \u2013 and recommends pairing it with a moisturising serum for those struggling with dryness.<\/p>\n

The science, according to its makers, centres on how light interacts with cells.<\/p>\n

Red and infrared light are thought to stimulate mitochondria \u2013 the ‘powerhouses’ inside our cells \u2013 prompting them to release two key substances: ATP, which supports collagen and elastin production, and nitric oxide, which increases blood flow and aids tissue repair.<\/p>\n

Combined with heat (the device warms tissue to around 40-42\u00b0C) and vibration, this is intended to trigger fibroblasts \u2013 cells that help build connective tissue \u2013 with the aim, say its makers, of improving elasticity, lubrication and sensitivity in vaginal tissue affected by falling oestrogen levels.<\/p>\n

In short, it is marketed as a kind of at-home ‘rejuvenation’ tool for the intimate effects of the menopause.<\/p>\n

The company behind it claims the benefits are significant.<\/p>\n

In a survey of 40,000 women, Issviva found that more than half reported low libido, nearly a third experienced vaginal dryness and 45 per cent had bladder leakage \u2013 all symptoms the device is designed to target.<\/p>\n

It also points to a 2019 study on genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) \u2013 a chronic condition caused by falling oestrogen levels that leads to symptoms such as vaginal dryness, pain during sex, urinary problems and tissue thinning \u2013 commissioned by Joylux, which reported improvements across multiple areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among women who used the device three times a week for six weeks, 77 per cent saw improved sexual function, 90 per cent reported increased sensitivity and 92 per cent experienced relief from urinary symptoms such as incontinence.<\/p>\n

Company data further suggests that 89 per cent of users report less pain and 91 per cent reduced vaginal dryness.<\/p>\n

Set against that backdrop, it is perhaps no surprise that such devices sit within a booming ‘femtech’ market, where products promise to tackle some of the most intimate \u2013 and often overlooked \u2013 consequences of hormonal change.<\/p>\n

More broadly, red light therapy itself has surged in popularity in recent years, appearing in everything from facial masks to scalp treatments, often with claims it can reverse visible signs of ageing.<\/p>\n

But many women’s health experts urge caution when it comes to translating that promise to intimate use.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead, they argue that the most effective treatment for the vaginal symptoms of the menopause is vaginal oestrogen \u2013 an HRT gel applied directly to the intimate parts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr Philippa Kaye, an NHS GP specialising in women’s health, says: ‘Whilst the theory behind red light for vaginal symptoms of the menopause makes sense, if it can promote collagen production and improve blood flow, we just don’t have the evidence to prove it yet.<\/p>\n

‘We do know what does work and that’s low-cost vaginal oestrogen, which can be safely used for the long-term to relieve discomfort.<\/p>\n

‘Because this device vibrates, this could in theory help to increase blood flow to the area which won’t only help with tissue regeneration but arousal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘The more blood flow you get to the area, specifically the clitoris, the more likely you are to experience arousal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Relearning to associate penetration with pleasure is also really important when it comes to boosting libido, which this device may help with if women are using it like a sex toy.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are related treatments offered in private clinics \u2013 though they are not directly comparable to the at-home devices now being marketed to consumers.<\/p>\n

Clinic procedures, often described as vaginal ‘rejuvenation’, use medical-grade lasers or radiofrequency energy delivered under specialist supervision.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The aim is to gently heat the tissue, triggering a repair response that can improve blood flow, tighten existing collagen fibres and stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin \u2013 helping to restore strength, elasticity and lubrication.<\/p>\n

By contrast, the at-home devices attempt to mimic some of these effects, but at far lower power.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These consumer devices are raising the most concern among regulators.<\/p>\n

The US Food and Drug Administration has previously said it is ‘deeply concerned’ that such treatments could harm women, warning of potential risks including burns, scarring and pain.<\/p>\n

Dr Shirin Lakhani, a GP with a specialist interest in women’s health, who runs a private clinic offering vaginal rejuvenation procedures, says that while the concept behind the Issiva x Joylux carried some weight, the evidence for at-home use is still limited.<\/p>\n

‘Red light is relatively new in terms of treating vaginal symptoms,’ she says. ‘But biologically, it’s plausible that it can work to alleviate symptoms.<\/p>\n

‘However, this is all relatively superficial because these devices use low intensity light.’<\/p>\n

Still, she says, anything that opens up the conversation has value.<\/p>\n

‘There are a lot of products out there that can help boost sex drive and other changes that happen as we age,’ she say. ‘Anything that adds to a more open conversation about intimate health, meaning less women have to suffer in silence, is a good thing.’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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