Women undergo surgery utilizing pelvic mesh for two main reasons. One reason is urinary stress incontinence, where a stress on the body, such as sneezing or lifting, causes a woman to be unable to control the flow of her bladder.

The other reason a woman may need to have surgery that implants pelvic mesh is due to pelvic organ prolapse, a condition where the organs descend from their original location, causing pain and other problems.

As if these situations were not embarrassing, painful or stressful enough, women who have surgery may also encounter a number of pelvic mesh complications.

What is Pelvic Mesh?

Pelvic mesh, also known as vaginal mesh, is a medical device implanted inside the body to support the pelvic organs, allowing for more normal function and pain relief.

While this procedure is a common one, pelvic mesh complications do happen and can cause even more pain and problems than the original condition that the pelvic mesh was designed to treat.

Some women feel completely dependent on their doctors’ advice, and they may not always think to ask about all of the potential complications associated with the surgery or procedure that their doctor recommends. They often assume that the doctor knows best, and that the doctor would not prescribe a particular course of action if he or she thought it was unsafe.

Additionally, not all doctors may even know all of the complications that are associated with the use of vaginal mesh. In general, a lack of information can set up a woman for problems if she is not aware of signs and symptoms to look for surrounding pelvic mesh complications.

Pelvic Mesh Complications

Complications that have been reported with the use of pelvic mesh include:

• Bleeding where the pelvic mesh was implanted
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Urinary problems
• Erosion of the mesh product leading to degradation or fragmentation
• Pelvic mesh failure, we are the original condition is not fixed
• Contracting or shrinkage of the pelvic mesh
• Organ perforation or blood vessel perforation
• Pelvic and vaginal scarring
• Injuries sustained by male sexual partners

Once a woman is diagnosed with pelvic mesh complications, typically the only way to address the complications may be for the woman to undergo revision surgery. During a revision surgery, the pelvic mesh originally implanted is removed and a more traditional surgery is performed to treat urinary stress incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.

In response to the growing number of adverse event reports submitted to the FDA regarding pelvic mesh complications, the federal agency issued a more severe warning for the products. The new warning classified pelvic mesh as a high-risk device in the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse, when in the past it was considered a medium-risk device.

Taking Legal Action over Pelvic Mesh Complications

If you suffered from pelvic mesh complications after surgery, you may be entitled to seek legal compensation for your injuries. Filing a pelvic mesh lawsuit may help you recover damages related to medical expenses, emotional distress, pain and suffering, loss of earnings and more.

An experienced attorney familiar with pelvic mesh litigation can review your case at no charge and can present your legal options to you.