A report titled “Dyspareunia and chronic pelvic pain after polypropylene mesh augmentation for transvaginal repair of anterior vaginal wall prolapse” published in a 2007 edition of The International Urogynecology Journal by Lawrence L. Lin et al. illustrates the case of one woman who used transvaginal mesh following pelvic organ prolapse and suffered particularly unfortunate side-effects.

While the risk rate for vaginal mesh erosion has been found to be as high as 20% by some studies, and other studies have linked vaginal mesh use to an increased risk for bacterial infections, few have illustrated well the side effects of dyspareunia and/or chronic pelvic pain, ailments that effect many users of transvaginal mesh.

The woman discussed in the Lin et al. paper was 55-years-old at the time of her pelvic organ prolapse repair surgery that required the use of a 6 x 4 cm piece of polypropylene transvaginal mesh.  Previous studies have found that polypropylene transvaginal mesh results in vaginal mesh erosion at a rate of 10-13%.  At the time she presented to Lin et al., she was 59-years-old and had been experiencing chronic, debilitating pelvic pain for years, and had more recently begun experiencing dyspareunia.[1]

Here is an excerpt from the Lin et al. paper where Lin discusses the course of this woman’s treatment:

“We opted to treat the patient conservatively with more vaginal estrogen therapy and oral anti-inflammatory medications for 4 months. … After extensive counseling with the patient about the risks and the benefits of surgical excision, we believed that the risks of surgery outweighed the benefits and we recommended that conservative management was her best option. The patient’s chronic pelvic pain symptoms remained persistent and unchanged after conservative treatments, and she failed to keep further follow up appointments.”[2]

Commenting on this case more broadly, Lin et al. write “In our case report, the 6×4-cm polypropylene mesh was adherent to the base of the bladder. The anatomic support of the synthetic mesh in the anterior compartment was excellent; however, the patient’s chronic pelvic pain and dyspareunia were now more debilitating than her previous bladder prolapse,”[3] suggesting that using transvaginal mesh to correct a medical condition may be more painful and debilitating than the condition itself.

As a result of such high rates of complications associated with transvaginal mesh and a lack of sufficient risk rate disclosure on the part of transvaginal mesh manufacturers, many transvaginal mesh lawsuits are currently being filed.  If you used transvaginal mesh and experienced side effects such as those described above, vaginal mesh erosion, or mesh-related infection, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries.

For a free case consultation, contact our team of transvaginal mesh lawyers either by phone at (855) 452-5529 or by e-mail at justinian@dangerousdrugs.us.

Our Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Information page is a great place to start if you have additional questions about Transvaginal Mesh.