While vaginal mesh products have been an undeniably useful advancement in the medical field, some of its more serious side effects may necessitate mesh removal surgery.

A growing number of patients with vaginal mesh have begun filing lawsuits over complications that have led to mesh removal surgery, which brings along its own risks and, at the very least, further medical expenses.

Background of Vaginal Mesh

Vaginal mesh devices are used to treat conditions known as pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI), both of which are quite common. POP and SUI both cause weak pelvic floor muscles to allow pelvic organs to sink, encroaching on the vagina, which causes serious pain in the pelvic area as well as significant urinary issues. Patients with POP and SUI often also face pain during intercourse. These conditions are quite common, and occur after muscle damage, often caused by childbirth, menopause, or a hysterectomy.

While treating these conditions is important, and vaginal mesh has made huge steps forward for treatment, there are serious risks associated with these products that often require mesh removal surgery.

Vaginal Mesh Injuries

Vaginal mesh injuries reported by thousands of women across the country include, but are not limited to:

• Severe pelvic pain
• Chronic pain
• Infection
• Bleeding
• Mesh erosion
• Mesh tearing
• Organ perforation
• Urinary problems
• Vaginal scarring
• Pain during intercourse

In 2008, the FDA reported that in the six-year span since vaginal mesh was first approved, the federal agency had received over a thousand reports of vaginal mesh related injuries. Just three years later, in 2011, the FDA had received nearly 2,000 more reports of these problems, and no longer considered vaginal mesh injuries to be rare.

In a warning issued that year, the FDA noted that the most common of vaginal mesh injuries was mesh erosion through the vagina. Mesh erosion often requires vaginal mesh removal surgery to fix and, even then, it’s a complicated and invasive procedure.

Vaginal Mesh Removal Surgery

Unfortunately, vaginal mesh removal surgery adds additional risks and further medical expenses, but sometimes, the severity of mesh side effects mean that this mesh removal surgery cannot be avoided. In some cases, mesh removal surgery may be unsuccessful, requiring an additional surgery to correct.

Because of these side effects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that, if other options to treat POP and SUI are available, women should strongly consider those options before choosing a vaginal mesh implant.

Filing a Vaginal Mesh Removal Surgery Lawsuit

Tens of thousands of patients who have suffered from vaginal mesh complications that necessitated a mesh removal surgery are filing lawsuits against their mesh device’s manufacturers. Thousands of mesh removal surgery lawsuits have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation (MDL) due to the sheer number of these cases.

In some cases, vaginal mesh surgery lawsuits have led to financial damages of millions of dollars.

If you or someone you love had mesh removal surgery because of damage from vaginal mesh side effects, or if your mesh removal surgery is scheduled, you may be able to file a vaginal mesh class action lawsuit.