When it hit the market, transvaginal mesh showed promise for treating women who had a condition called pelvic organ prolapse.
Pelvic organ prolapse, or POP, affects up to 1 out of 3 women. This is according to a urologist who works for a major medical provider in Texas.
Childbirth and even aging can bring on the condition. Basically, organs in a woman’s body start to drop and cause complications with urinating and some discomfort.
Had it worked as intended, the transvaginal mesh would have stabilized the pelvic organs.
What happened instead was that many patients developed conditions that in many cases were much worse than POP.
These complications in some cases required multiple surgeries to address, although removing all the mesh is difficult. Some of these complications left victims in severe pain and with emotional scars.
Basically, the products came onto the market without adequate testing. The assumption was that since mesh works safely to treat other conditions like hernias, it should work to treat POP.
Following this line of thought, the product’s manufacturers exploited a legal process that allowed them to put the products on the market quickly.
The manufacturers then marketed their products as an efficient way to fix a common and often embarrassing problem among women.
The product has been in the crosshairs of the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for years. In 2022, the FDA re-affirmed that transvaginal mesh is simply not a safe way to treat POP. The FDA effectively banned transvaginal mesh as treatment for POP in 2019.
Many providers also steered clear of treating POP with transvaginal mesh, preferring other treatments. Over time, these alternatives could also prove to have safety drawbacks.
Houston-area residents with mesh complications may have a right to compensation
It could take many more years for people to understand the full fallout out of this tragic misstep. Residents of the Houston area who used transvaginal mesh to treat POP should keep a close watch for complications.
If complications develop, victims may have legal options.
