Women in the San Francisco Bay area who have experienced transvaginal mesh failure are pushing for a ban on the product.

The FDA reclassified transvaginal mesh in January, moving it to the “high risk” category when it is used in the repair of pelvic organ prolapse, commonly known as POP.

In addition, transvaginal mesh manufacturers are required to submit a premarket approval application to address the safety concerns raised in the product’s use to repair POP.

The new FDA orders do not apply to the mesh that is implanted as a result of stress urinary incontinence, even though women have reported health problems stemming from both surgeries.

Procedures using transvaginal mesh became popular because a doctor can go through the vagina to secure the mesh to secure organs that have “fallen” rather than create incisions in the abdomen.

Many women don’t think the new regulations go far enough to protect women from transvaginal mesh failure and the debilitating side effects.

Transvaginal Mesh Failure

The FDA has reports from thousands of women who have complained of infection, chronic pain and painful sex.

Three Bay area women, Kerry H., Rita M., and Ronda R. say they have fought excruciating pain and infections that began a few months after receiving their implants. Both had transvaginal mesh failure as a result of trying to correct stress urinary incontinence.

Kerry H. told NBC Bay Area, “It was simple, it was quick, I went into the hospital the next day I came home and was back up on my feet,” she said. “It’s a nightmare, I had it put in in 2012, and since then I’ve had 5 to 6 UTIs (urinary tract infections) a year.”

Rita M. said she sometimes sat in a bathtub for an entire night because she was in so much pain.

When Ronda R. experienced organ prolapse, her doctor convinced her that the mesh would be a great solution. Instead, she experienced transvaginal mesh failure that left her with more pain and issues than the organ prolapse itself had been causing.

“It feels just like a, a screen, you know from a window, that’s on my insides and cutting me from the inside,” Ronda said. “Just get rid of it. Why would you even think about putting it in another person?”

Transvaginal Mesh Removal

Dr. Dionysios Veronikis of St. Louis is a surgeon who removes transvaginal mesh. Since 1994, he has removed more mesh from more than 1,000 women. He says demand for his services has increased dramatically in the past five years.

Because the mesh is implanted inside the body, scar tissue forms around it, making it very difficult to remove. Some doctors liken it to taking rebar out of concrete.

Dr. Veronikis believes that transvaginal mesh failure has led to “the darkest chapter in gynecologic surgery.”

He encourages women to find surgeons such as himself who have experience and expertise in the delicate removal of the mesh implants.

If you or a loved one have had a procedure with surgical mesh that has resulted in transvaginal mesh failure, you could benefit from a class action lawsuit. If you suffered pain, lost wages, subsequent hospitalizations, surgeries and other losses, you could qualify for compensation through legal representation.