The rise in dangerous complications of vaginal mesh implants has seen the services of a transvaginal mesh lawyer become more sought after.
Background on Transvaginal Mesh
The history of the use of surgical mesh in addressing gynecological disorders goes back to the 1970s. Even though the mesh itself was initially produced in the 1950s to target abdominal hernias, it wasn’t until gynecologists and surgeons started customizing it by cutting it up to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) that manufacturing shot up on a commercial scale.
Conditions Targeted by the Transvaginal Mesh
SUI most commonly occurs in women and involves the involuntary release of urine when laughing, coughing and sneezing, or even when doing some exercises that require taking physical stress. This is usually caused by weakened pelvic muscles and other adjoining ligaments following either childbirth, a hysterectomy or menopause.
Pelvic organ prolapse is a more serious condition in which the organs lying above the vagina start bulging or protruding into the vaginal canal itself. In more serious cases, this can extend beyond the opening of the vagina, creating more discomfort and inconvenience. The organs that can prolapse into the vagina include the rectum, the bladder and the uterus. The risks for developing POP increase greatly after having a surgery performed in the pelvic region, such as a hysterectomy, obesity, chronic coughing and persistent constipation.
Problems with the Transvaginal Mesh
The issues connected with the use of the vaginal mesh in treating SUI and POP started creeping up long before reports of its damaging aftereffects started surfacing in 2005. Gynecologists started implanting the vaginal mesh permanently a good two to three decades before the FDA even approved of its use, which was in 1996 for that of SUI and 2002 for POP. This was a clear violation of the legal process in which such invasive products are allowed for use on a mass scale and gave way to the unregulated manufacture and sale of the surgical mesh.
The vaginal mesh is typically composed of either biological materials such as animal tissue, absorbable or non-absorbable synthetic materials such as polypropylene or polyester and even stainless steel. The intention for using it is to support the wall of the vagina in holding back the organs above as well as acquiring more control over the urethra. However, it is when these interwoven fibers start degrading or cutting into the surrounding vaginal tissue is when the serious complications arise, namely pain, infection and a recurrence of prolapse.
Seeking help from a Transvaginal Mesh Law Firm
During the second half of the 2000s, the US Food and Drug Administration received around 4,000 reports from women that had experienced injuries and dangerous complications from having the transvaginal mesh implantation done. Consequently, the FDA issued an initial warning in 2008 and then a more severe one in 2011, stating that “There are clear risks associated with the transvaginal placement of mesh to treat POP.”
If you or a loved one has been the victim of the damaging effects of a transvaginal mesh product then you definitely need to have a transvaginal mesh attorney on your side and file a lawsuit. Over 600 women have already sued the vaginal mesh manufacturer Ethicon, prompting it to halt its sales of surgical meshes.
Background on Transvaginal Mesh
The history of the use of surgical mesh in addressing gynecological disorders goes back to the 1970s. Even though the mesh itself was initially produced in the 1950s to target abdominal hernias, it wasn’t until gynecologists and surgeons started customizing it by cutting it up to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) that manufacturing shot up on a commercial scale.
Conditions Targeted by the Transvaginal Mesh
SUI most commonly occurs in women and involves the involuntary release of urine when laughing, coughing and sneezing, or even when doing some exercises that require taking physical stress. This is usually caused by weakened pelvic muscles and other adjoining ligaments following either childbirth, a hysterectomy or menopause.
Pelvic organ prolapse is a more serious condition in which the organs lying above the vagina start bulging or protruding into the vaginal canal itself. In more serious cases, this can extend beyond the opening of the vagina, creating more discomfort and inconvenience. The organs that can prolapse into the vagina include the rectum, the bladder and the uterus. The risks for developing POP increase greatly after having a surgery performed in the pelvic region, such as a hysterectomy, obesity, chronic coughing and persistent constipation.
Problems with the Transvaginal Mesh
The issues connected with the use of the vaginal mesh in treating SUI and POP started creeping up long before reports of its damaging aftereffects started surfacing in 2005. Gynecologists started implanting the vaginal mesh permanently a good two to three decades before the FDA even approved of its use, which was in 1996 for that of SUI and 2002 for POP. This was a clear violation of the legal process in which such invasive products are allowed for use on a mass scale and gave way to the unregulated manufacture and sale of the surgical mesh.
The vaginal mesh is typically composed of either biological materials such as animal tissue, absorbable or non-absorbable synthetic materials such as polypropylene or polyester and even stainless steel. The intention for using it is to support the wall of the vagina in holding back the organs above as well as acquiring more control over the urethra. However, it is when these interwoven fibers start degrading or cutting into the surrounding vaginal tissue is when the serious complications arise, namely pain, infection and a recurrence of prolapse.
Seeking help from a Transvaginal Mesh Law Firm
During the second half of the 2000s, the US Food and Drug Administration received around 4,000 reports from women that had experienced injuries and dangerous complications from having the transvaginal mesh implantation done. Consequently, the FDA issued an initial warning in 2008 and then a more severe one in 2011, stating that “There are clear risks associated with the transvaginal placement of mesh to treat POP.”
If you or a loved one has been the victim of the damaging effects of a transvaginal mesh product then you definitely need to have a transvaginal mesh attorney on your side and file a lawsuit. Over 600 women have already sued the vaginal mesh manufacturer Ethicon, prompting it to halt its sales of surgical meshes.