The Bigger O

Can the elusive O-Shot really improve women’s sex lives? Dr. Shari Caplan explains.

“Do you want to make your privates sparkle?” asks Dr. Shari Caplan, MD, CCFP, FCFP, FAARM. As the medical director of Toronto’s Vitality MD, an integrative medical lifestyle centre and medi-spa, it’s a question that comes with a long backstory. In her time as a physician, her patients’ sex lives have always been a hot topic. “In my line of work, one of the biggest complaints I hear from women is how they’ve lost their libido and want it back. While there are a ton of options that help men deal with this issue, there hasn’t been any for women until more recently,” says Dr. Caplan.

Enter the O-Shot (yes, we’re talking about orgasms), a patented, non-surgical treatment that promises increased sexual desire, arousal and pleasure, as well as vaginal lubrication. Developed nearly a decade ago by an American doctor, Charles Runels, who wondered if the same procedure used to rejuvenate the skin on women’s faces — the vampire facelift — would have similar results if used on the vagina. “The treatment uses platelet-rich plasma retrieved from blood taken from the arm. It’s then injected around the vagina, clitoris, and G-spots. It regrows cells to help rejuvenate sensitivity, lubrication, desire and the ability to have that big O,” says Dr. Caplan. “Before, all we could do was restore hormones that were out of whack. For example, we could add testosterone, estrogen or progesterone, but some women don’t like the effects that some of those can produce.”

For best results, we recommend two O-Shots; after the first session, which takes about 45 minutes, it is repeated a month or so later. There’s no down time post-shot and results are usually felt within two weeks to six months.

Since she began offering the procedure last year, Dr. Caplan says it’s been pretty popular with the post-baby, perimenopausal, and menopausal crowd, but also with those who feel like their sex life is subpar. Success rates have been exceedingly favourable — those who have had it attest to its many benefits. Among other accolades, patients consistently report stronger, longer-lasting orgasms. “If better sex isn’t reason enough, there are other good reasons for getting the shot — it can work wonders for women suffering from stress incontinence, painful intercourse and discomfort caused by vaginal dryness, as well as improve aesthetics.

Words of praise from other women aside, Dr. Caplan doesn’t believe in offering her patients procedures she doesn’t truly believe in. Not only does she recommend the shot, she’s personally tried it. “I can vouch for it,” she laughs. “I have to say, since getting the shot, my libido, sensitivity, and dryness have definitely improved. Women deserve to have their libidos restored and to enjoy an active sex life.”

Illustration, IStock