A vaginal mesh is a plastic mesh-like medical device that is implanted inside the vagina to treat conditions like stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. A vaginal mesh uses a combination of various materials, including a plastic component known as polypropylene.
What Conditions Can Be Treated With A Vaginal Mesh Sling?
Due to an increasing number of women suffering from stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, medical professionals and researchers created the mesh to serve as a permanent solution to those problems. Pelvic organ prolapse can cause the organs in your abdomen such as the bladder or uterus to drop from its original position and push against the vaginal walls.
This condition is caused as a result of stretched or weakened pelvic muscles that hold your organs in place. These muscles often become weak after surgery or childbirth.
Stress urinary incontinence causes involuntary passing of urine during physical movement such as sneezing, coughing, heavy lifting, or running. These actions apply pressure to the bladder.
How Can A Vaginal Mesh Sling Help?
This device is a hammock-like mesh that is implanted into a patient’s vagina either directly or through the abdomen to provide additional support to the pelvic organs. It can also create a better angle between the patient’s bladder and urethra, allowing them to have more control over passing urine and prevents incontinence.
Most women who receive vaginal mesh slings are reported to be over 50 years of age. With younger women, their pelvic floor, ligaments, and connective tissue can be restored through exercises or lifestyle changes. Older women have weaker connective tissue, either due to age or childbirth, which leads to this condition.
Overweight women have higher chances of suffering from pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence early on, so maintaining a healthy lifestyle can minimize your risk of acquiring the condition.
The Complications Surrounding Vaginal Mesh Slings
Although many women have undergone this treatment, the success rate has been rather poor. Many women have complained of severe pain that have left them unable to work, walk, or engage in sex. Women who have had the mesh implanted to prevent pelvic organ prolapse have reported complications such as bleeding, infection, urinary problems, and organ perforation.
Mesh erosion is one the most common complications to occur. That’s when the mesh breaks down into small pieces that moves around inside the patient’s vagina, causing intolerable pain. Organ perforation and internal infection are life-threatening complications that need to be addressed immediately.
The ideal way to treat complications from vaginal mesh slings is to undergo surgery to either fix it or remove it completely. Due to these serious complications, the FDA has classified the vaginal mesh sling as a high-risk device and the decision to use it should be made carefully. Surgeons are required to advise patients against the numerous risks involved with a vaginal mesh implant.
If you are suffering from a pelvic floor disorder, you should speak to your health care provider and learn about all the risks and potential complications involved.
Contact Our Office
If you’re suffering from the adverse effects of having a vaginal mesh inserted and want help finding relief, our expert surgeons, Doctors John Miklos and Robert Moore, can help. Contact our office to schedule an appointment today.