Emsella: What You Need to Know

Pros

• It’s a nonsurgical, noninvasive solution—so much so that you don’t even have to remove your clothes for the treatment. 
• Average treatment time is about 30 minutes, with no downtime afterward. 
• The treatment isn’t painful, though you may feel a tingling or “pulling” sensation. 
• Emsella is FDA-approved for treating both stress urinary incontinence (due to sneezing or laughing) and overactive bladder. It may also help curb urge incontinence and bladder leakage.
• Not having to worry about leaks or running to the bathroom can be a huge improvement in quality of life for men and women of any age. 
• Some patients also report an improvement in sexual response.

Cons

• It's not a one-and-done procedure. The typical treatment plan is a series of six Emsella sessions twice a week see results, plus follow-up treatments every 6 to 12 months to maintain them.  
• You may need more than the recommended six sessions, depending on the degree of weakness in your pelvic floor musculature, to see a significant improvement. One member didn’t notice any improvement with six alone—and additional sessions may drive up the cost.

• Average Cost:
• $1,500

• Range:
• $600 - $2,800

How much you pay will depend on your provider’s level of experience and where they practice.

Because this is an elective procedure and not considered medically necessary, insurance doesn’t cover it. Purchasing a treatment package tends to be more cost-effective than purchasing treatments individually.

You’ll begin with a consultation with a board-certified doctor, who’ll assess whether Emsella is right for you based on your history of urinary incontinence, the type of incontinence you experience, and what its cause may be.

“While it primarily has been used for stress incontinence, there is evidence that Emsella also improves urge incontinence as well,” says Dr. Bhavlene Panesar, a physician in Edmonton, Alberta.

If you’re a good candidate for the treatment, your provider will show you how to position yourself on the Emsella chair to get the best results. You'll feel tingling and contractions of the pelvic floor muscles within the first five minutes of the treatment.

The experience shouldn’t be painful at all. While you may feel tingling or a “pulling” sensation in your pelvic floor area, you can read or listen to a podcast through the entirety of the treatment, which lasts about 28 minutes.

If you do feel any discomfort, your provider can lower the intensity and slowly dial it up once you’re more accustomed to it. 

Immediately afterward, you can resume your daily activities. There are no reported side effects.

You'll notice improvements in incontinence after the first session. RealSelf members say they felt the best results after three to six sessions, though you may find that your symptoms may get worse before they start to get better due to some initial pelvic floor muscle fatigue. 

The best results will last for about six months before you'll need a maintenance treatment, though it's possible that you could extend them if you're really diligent about doing daily at-home Kegel exercises, which replicate pelvic floor muscle contractions. 

“Using the Emsella is similar to having a personal trainer and working out at the gym. After the initial six-treatment course, you should be doing your daily Kegels, which Emsella should help you to perform at a stronger and more sustained rate,” explains Dr. Edsel Antonio, an OB-GYN in Jersey City, New Jersey. As with any workout, you’ll regress if you stop.