Woman fitted with Prolift pelvic organ product talks to BBC You and Yours about the health problems she has experienced

A woman represented by the medical device team at Leigh Day is today speaking to BBC Radio 4’s consumer watchdog programme You and Yours about health problems she believes are the result of being fitted with a Gynecare Prolift Mesh.

Many women who experience pelvic organ prolapse are treated with prolapse repair surgery which can involve the use of surgical meshes.

Unfortunately some patients have reported that they have been left with serious health problems following the implantation of such surgical meshes.

Leigh Day partner Jill Paterson is currently representing a group of women who have suffered injuries they think have been caused by the use of surgical meshes, and devices including transvaginal tape.

The US safety body the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) first alerted the public in America to the possible health problems associated with surgical mesh in 2008.  Subsequent safety notices and communications have drawn attention to US patients noting that serious complications associated with surgical mesh for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) were “not rare”.

In the UK the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) started an investigation into vaginal meshes in July 2013 after patients reported health problems that included mesh wear and protrusion, organ injury, bleeding, pain, incontinence and repeated prolapses.

Leigh Day’s client, featured on today’s You and Yours, underwent a total prolapse repair procedure in 2007 and almost immediately started suffering from pelvic pain.  She subsequently experienced mesh erosion and a further prolapse.

Following a severe urinary tract infection she had to undergo further surgery during which time further erosion of the surgical mesh was noted.  She had to have pieces of the mesh removed from her bladder and has been left with parts of the mesh in her body which will never be able to be removed.

Product liability partner Jill Paterson said:

“From the number of enquiries we have received from injured women it is clear that a pattern is emerging relating to surgical meshes which are widely used to treat pelvic organ prolapse.

“We welcomed the wider publicity that programmes like You and Yours bring and hope that many more women can approach their GPs and surgeons to report the health problems they believe have been caused after being fitted with surgical meshes.”

To speak to a member of the medical device team at Leigh Day please contact Jill Paterson on 020 7650 1219 for a free consultation about your potential compensation claims.