‘I thought a vaginal mesh would help - instead it left me sobbing in agony’

Women suffering complications from vaginal mesh implants, including after removal, are calling on the Government to overhaul the compensation process.

Sharon Marchant, 61, from Bedfordshire, is one of thousands of women living with life-changing complications from a vaginal mesh implant.

Vaginal mesh, which is made from the same material used to make drinks bottles, is an implant used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence.

For years it was viewed as the gold standard treatment for incontinence and prolapse in many women, but was later found to cause debilitating side effects including infection, pelvic and leg pain, difficulty urinating, pain during sex, and incontinence.

Earlier this week it was revealed that propylene, the material used commonly used in vaginal mesh implants starts to degrade within 60 days of being implanted in the pelvis.

Ms Marchant told i of the severe physical and mental pain she suffered due to her vaginal mesh implant.

In 2014, she was recommended for a mesh implant after being diagnosed with stress-caused urinary incontinence.

At the time, Ms Marchant did not know much about the vaginal mesh. “I hadn’t heard anything about it – good, bad or indifferent.

“Having been a nurse in my younger years, I just thought, well, if they’re doing this, they must know what they’re doing,” she said.

Within weeks she noticed something was wrong.

“I could feel something that was uncomfortable. And so I had to do a self examination, and then I very quickly realised with the use of a mirror, there was a very large lump of blue mesh exposed.”

She opted for a complete removal of the mesh and is relieved it is now gone. But as a result her stress incontinence worsened, requiring her to take new medication and does not feel comfortable enough to start a new relationship.

“It’s just taken away a huge portion of my life,” she said.

Some women are so desperate for the procedure they are travelling to the US and paying up to £30,000 for the procedure, i was told.

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Source: iNews, 26 October 2024