An increasing number of vaginal mesh lawsuit claims have been filed by people who have had numerous side effects as a result of vaginal mesh complications.

Transvaginal mesh is a device used to support a weakened organ, muscle, or tissue area. It is often used for two types of conditions: pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) occurs when the muscles in a woman’s pelvic area weaken and organs, such as the urethra, bladder or bowel, begin to move downward into the vagina. Although POP actually occurs fairly commonly as women age, most people do not feel any symptoms. However, for the small percentage that does, the symptoms cannot be ignored. Women with POP may a feel pressure and pain in the back or pelvic area. They may have difficulty with urinary, bowel and sexual functions.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a condition where the muscles of the urethra are too weak to halt the accidental flow of urine. When a woman puts stress on the urethra, by laughing, sneezing or coughing, for example, incontinence can occur.

Transvaginal Mesh for POP and SUI

Doctors have used mesh to help strengthen these weakened areas of muscle. When inserting the device, doctors can make incisions either through the abdomen or through the vagina. Going through the vagina, or the transvaginal method, has often been preferred because it was seen as less invasive.

However, numerous reports—and subsequent lawsuits—are unveiling a disturbing trend among transvaginal mesh repairs. Many of the mesh products, regardless of the manufacturer, are causing serious, chronic and debilitating side effects.

The most common problem occurs when the mesh begins to erode. When that happens, women can experience pain and repeated infections at the site of the device. The device can also contract, causing additional pain and pulling.

Removing the mesh presents its own problems. Because it is intended to be a permanent insertion, it is often difficult to remove, as it quickly becomes intertwined with the body tissues. Some patients have found that even if the device can be removed, they still experience symptoms.

Even those who kept the mesh device experienced a recurrence of their initial problem. In other words, some people who had been treated for POP through transvaginal mesh surgery had a recurrence of prolapse, or a new case of stress urinary incontinence.

Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit

Many women question whether the manufacturers of these products tested the devices thoroughly enough to ensure their safety. If you have had transvaginal mesh surgery and experienced vaginal mesh complications, you should understand your legal options. For more information on transvaginal mesh lawsuits, please contact us today for a free consultation.

Imagine that, like 11 million women in the United States, you have stress urinary incontinence– the uncontrollable leakage of urine that can occur when you laugh, cough, sneeze or even exercise. Please contact us for the latest vaginal mesh lawsuit news and litigation updates if you suffer from vaginal mesh complications.Now imagine that your doctor recommends a device that can help, but instead of ending your problems, you now have constant pain and a device that may not be removable.

That is the situation facing many women who have had a vaginal mesh device implanted for stress urinary incontinence. Women who have weakened muscles in the pelvic region may find that the urethra, the organ that carries urine from the bladder, may not contract properly, allowing involuntary leakage. The vaginal mesh device is inserted as a permanent fixture to provide support for the urethra to make it easier for the organ to contract efficiently.

But many women are finding that vaginal mesh products presents a number of problems, namely chronic pain and infection when the mesh erodes or contracts. In one recent study, nearly 4000 patients reported problems with surgical mesh devices, with more than 1300 patients citing complications resulting from mesh repair of stress urinary incontinence.

Once the mesh device is inserted, removing it is not necessarily a simple task. Because it is intended to be a permanent device, it quickly becomes intertwined with muscle tissue, and may not be removable. Some patients have also found that even when the device can be removed, the complications may not go away.

Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit Claims

So far, about 600 people have filed lawsuits against the various surgical mesh manufacturers, and that number is expected to increase as more women learn about the lawsuits and realize that they are not the only ones in their situation. Last year alone, 75,000 women received a vaginally implanted surgical mesh device; therefore each of these patients is at risk for complications.

Although the FDA and several manufacturers have agreed that more study needs to be done to ensure the safety of the devices, this agreement comes too late for those who are already unable to work, maintain a social life or enjoy intimacy because of the pain caused by a defective mesh device.

If you have had vaginal mesh complications, we invite you to contact us for a free, confidential and personalized consultation to find out more about your individual situation and discuss your legal options including being part of a vaginal mesh lawsuit. We are currently representing women throughout the United States in bringing individual claims.

If you have had a mesh device inserted to address pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence, these vaginal mesh erosion symptoms may sound familiar:

• Severe pelvic pain
• Painful intercourse
• Inability to have intercourse
• Partner experiences irritation from mesh during intercourse

These problems may signal that the implantation of a surgical mesh device has gone awry and you should consult with your doctor right away.

Transvaginal mesh devices are used to help thousands of women who have pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence. These problems occur in nearly 50% of women during their lifetime, and are caused when the muscles in the pelvic area become weakened, often due to age, pregnancy, childbirth, hysterectomy or weight.

Pelvic organ prolapse, or POP, occurs when the weakened muscles allow the pelvic organs to shift downward, allowing organs such as the bladder, uterus or urethra to enter, or prolapse into, the vagina. POP actually is a fairly common occurrence, and most women are not even aware of any symptoms. The 2% of women who do experience symptoms may feel pain and pressure in the back and pelvic area, and may have difficulty with sexual, urinary and bowel functions.

Stress urinary incontinence, or SUI, occurs when the muscles in the urethra weaken and allow urine to leak involuntarily. This most often happens when a woman coughs, sneezes, exercises or lifts heavy objects.

Transvaginal mesh has been used to treat both POP and SUI because the device can provide support to the weakened muscle area. Doctors often preferred to insert the mesh vaginally instead of abdominally because it was seen as less invasive, with a faster recovery time.

Vaginal Mesh Complications Increase

After numerous complaints, the FDA has confirmed what many women already knew: serious problems exist with the transvaginal mesh. In an FDA study looking at surgical mesh use from 2005-2010, the agency found almost 4000 reports of complications from surgical mesh surgery. These complications ranged from chronic pain from vaginal mesh erosion or mesh contraction to injuries and infection resulting from the insertion of the device. The FDA found that within a two-year period, seven deaths were associated with POP repairs. As more women learn the cause of their symptoms, more reports are expected to be filed.

To date, at least 600 lawsuits have been filed against the different manufacturers who are being held accountable for the vaginal mesh complications. Women who have filed lawsuits question whether the manufacturers tested the devices thoroughly enough before introducing them to market.

If you have had complications from a transvaginal mesh failure, we encourage you to contact us to explore your legal options. There is a limited time to file a vaginal mesh lawsuit. Please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Vaginal mesh lawsuit 2012 cases are on the rise as more women seek compensation for the injuries they have suffered from mesh devices. That’s according to a recent Bloomberg Businessweek magazine article that details how at least 600 lawsuits have been filed against four manufacturers of the surgical mesh device.

The surgical mesh devices are used to help alleviate pelvic organ prolapse (POP), a condition that can occur when the pelvic muscles weaken and organs such as the bladder, urethra and uterus can slip downward and protrude into the vagina. Because the pelvic muscles may weaken due to age, pregnancy, childbirth and weight, it is actually fairly common for women to have some amount of pelvic organ displacement, but only 2% of these women tend to have symptoms.

When symptoms of POP are present, however, they are impossible to ignore. Women feel pressure, pain and general discomfort, and may have difficulty with bodily functions.

Treating POP with Vaginal Mesh

Doctors may implant a mesh device to help support the weakened muscle area. But some patients have found that the so-called cure is worse than the original condition. An FDA review of all surgical mesh products from 2005- 2010 found nearly 4000 reports of complications. The biggest concern occurs because the mesh can erode, which, in some patients, causes constant, debilitating pain. The mesh can also contract, leading to pain and uncomfortable sexual intercourse. In some cases, the mesh can be life threatening. In seven POP repairs between 2008 and 2010, the patients died. The mesh device can puncture an organ, leading to a hemorrhage.

Removing the device does not always solve the problem. Because the mesh is designed to be a permanent insertion and because it can become intertwined with the tissue, it is not necessarily easy to remove. Some patients have found that, even with removal, their complications remain.

Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit

Because so many complications have arisen, despite the individual manufacturer, patients are asking the question if the overall devices are at fault. Did the manufacturers test the devices thoroughly to ensure that they were safe? According to the Bloomberg Businessweek article, if one mesh device is tested, a newly developed device only needs to show that it is “substantially equivalent” to the existing one, but does not need to undergo extensive testing.

Although the FDA is reviewing the classification of surgical mesh from moderate risk to high risk, this information comes too late for those who are currently experiencing complications. Currently, there is no vaginal mesh recall that covers all of the different surgery mesh products being used in repairs.

If you have had surgery mesh complications and are considering your legal options including filing a vaginal mesh lawsuit, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your individual situation in a free and confidential consultation.

Have you experienced vaginal mesh failure? If so, you are not alone. More and more women are reporting complications from mesh devices inserted transvaginally to address pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence.

Pelvic organ prolapse, also known as POP, and stress urinary incontinence are fairly common ailments that occur in women, especially as they age. POP occurs when the muscles of the pelvic floor loosen and the organs in the pelvic area, including the bladder, uterus and bowel, bulge into the vagina. This can cause pelvic discomfort, and the disruption of urinary, bowel and sexual activities. Stress urinary incontinence, or SUI, occurs when the muscles that hold urine in weaken. During moments of stress, such as when laughing or coughing, the urine can involuntarily leak out.

Mesh devices have been FDA approved for stress urinary incontinence since 1996 and for POP since 2002. These mesh devices are used to bolster the weakened muscle tissue area. The devices may be inserted through the abdomen or through the vagina. The latter is believed to be less invasive and with a decreased recovery time.

However, in a recent review of the use of transvaginal mesh devices, the FDA found nearly 4000 reports of injury, death or malfunction from the device. More than half of the reports were associated with pelvic organ prolapse repairs, and the remaining were due to stress urinary incontinence repairs. Most disturbing, the number of reports associated with POP repairs has increased five times within the last three years, and the number is expected to continue to increase.

Women are reporting debilitating, constant pain as the mesh erodes or contracts. When the mesh erodes, even multiple surgeries may not alleviate the pain. Furthermore, because the mesh quickly becomes entangled with the tissue it supports, the device may be difficult to remove. Mesh contraction, or shortening, can cause painful intercourse.

The FDA recently warned that transvaginal mesh should be reclassified as high risk and should face more regulatory controls. Currently there is no vaginal mesh recall that covers all of the different surgery mesh products.

But for women who have already experienced the failure of transvaginal mesh surgery, this is not enough. Nearly 600 women have filed lawsuits against the different manufacturers of mesh devices, asserting that the manufacturers did not thoroughly test the devices to ensure their safety.

If you have experienced the pain of vaginal mesh failure, you too may be seeking answers. We can help. We represent women and their families who believe the manufacturers should be accountable for medical devices that should heal but instead harm. Contact us today for a free, no obligation and confidential consultation to discuss your individual situation, and to explore your legal options including being part of a vaginal mesh lawsuit.