By Albert Ramirez
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Usually occurring during menopause, women at this stage are at a high risk of suffering a pelvic health disorder described as Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP). This disorder is characterized by the descent of a pelvic organ from its usual position towards the lower pelvic area where it presses against the vaginal wall. This condition comes about when the muscles of the pelvic floor lose strength or become weakened, mostly due to vaginal delivery and surgical operations, making it unable to support the different pelvic organs.
POP Symptoms
When the following symptoms are experienced by a woman, she may have developed POP:
Very common is the heavy pressure felt in the pelvic area due to the bulge created by the prolapsed organ
A sensation similar to being full may also be experienced
An awkward feeling as if something is falling out of the vagina
Discomfort and pain may be felt in the pelvic area as well as in the lower back
Especially when the bladder is affected, there may be urinary incontinence
Women report that they experience great pain during sexual contact
Due to the pressure exerted, there may be constipation and other fecal problems
POP Treatment Options
There are surgical methods that are recommended to treat POP. In fact there are over hundreds of thousands who have undergone these types of surgeries. One of them is through surgical mesh.
When the pelvic floor muscles and tissues lose their strength, a device which is called surgical mesh or pelvic mesh is used to give the proper support. While the usual materials are the non-absorbable synthetic type, surgical mesh may also be sourced from animals. Transvaginal mesh is not only limited to POP repairs but also includes the repair of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Similar to POP treatments, pelvic mesh devices for SUI repairs also provide support to the urethra or bladder neck.
Favored by many surgeons today in repairing SUI is the so-called sling procedures. A sling procedure may use natural tissues of the body or a mesh device, also called a sling or tape, which is used to prop up the urethra or the bladder neck. The urethra may then function correctly with these sling devices even when the pelvic area is stressed by certain physical activities.
Complications of POP Repairs
While the use of transvaginal mesh devices became popular, reports of severe complications, particularly the serious mesh erosion, were being received by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also included on the list of side effects were mesh shrinkage, painful sexual contact, perforation of the organs, extensive soreness and discomfort, and serious bleeding. These side effects were so severe that in most cases, patients had to be hospitalized in order to undergo operations for the removal of the mesh.
In 2011, the FDA was forced to release a public advisory due to the rise in the number of injuries connected to the use of surgical mesh in the treatment of POP and SUI. Reports of serious injuries attributed to transvaginal mesh devices, numbering in the thousands, continue to the flood the FDA. In the years following the FDA%u2019s public advisory, mesh implant lawsuits in the thousands have been brought against erring mesh companies.
Lawsuit Updates
Pending mesh implant claims in various state and federal courts have been estimated to overshoot the 50,000 mark, with the most number in West Virginia centralized into six multidistrict litigations (MDL). With a few mesh lawsuits already resolved in court, trials for the other defendants have been scheduled for 2014.
Sources:
webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/tc/pelvic-organ-prolapse-topic-overview
fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/UroGynSurgicalMesh/ucm262299.htm
huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/08/pelvic-mesh-lawsuits-surgical_n_2647435.html
mayoclinic.com/health/urinary-incontinence-surgery/WO00126
Usually occurring during menopause, women at this stage are at a high risk of suffering a pelvic health disorder described as Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP). This disorder is characterized by the descent of a pelvic organ from its usual position towards the lower pelvic area where it presses against the vaginal wall. This condition comes about when the muscles of the pelvic floor lose strength or become weakened, mostly due to vaginal delivery and surgical operations, making it unable to support the different pelvic organs.
POP Symptoms
When the following symptoms are experienced by a woman, she may have developed POP:
Very common is the heavy pressure felt in the pelvic area due to the bulge created by the prolapsed organ
A sensation similar to being full may also be experienced
An awkward feeling as if something is falling out of the vagina
Discomfort and pain may be felt in the pelvic area as well as in the lower back
Especially when the bladder is affected, there may be urinary incontinence
Women report that they experience great pain during sexual contact
Due to the pressure exerted, there may be constipation and other fecal problems
POP Treatment Options
There are surgical methods that are recommended to treat POP. In fact there are over hundreds of thousands who have undergone these types of surgeries. One of them is through surgical mesh.
When the pelvic floor muscles and tissues lose their strength, a device which is called surgical mesh or pelvic mesh is used to give the proper support. While the usual materials are the non-absorbable synthetic type, surgical mesh may also be sourced from animals. Transvaginal mesh is not only limited to POP repairs but also includes the repair of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Similar to POP treatments, pelvic mesh devices for SUI repairs also provide support to the urethra or bladder neck.
Favored by many surgeons today in repairing SUI is the so-called sling procedures. A sling procedure may use natural tissues of the body or a mesh device, also called a sling or tape, which is used to prop up the urethra or the bladder neck. The urethra may then function correctly with these sling devices even when the pelvic area is stressed by certain physical activities.
Complications of POP Repairs
While the use of transvaginal mesh devices became popular, reports of severe complications, particularly the serious mesh erosion, were being received by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also included on the list of side effects were mesh shrinkage, painful sexual contact, perforation of the organs, extensive soreness and discomfort, and serious bleeding. These side effects were so severe that in most cases, patients had to be hospitalized in order to undergo operations for the removal of the mesh.
In 2011, the FDA was forced to release a public advisory due to the rise in the number of injuries connected to the use of surgical mesh in the treatment of POP and SUI. Reports of serious injuries attributed to transvaginal mesh devices, numbering in the thousands, continue to the flood the FDA. In the years following the FDA%u2019s public advisory, mesh implant lawsuits in the thousands have been brought against erring mesh companies.
Lawsuit Updates
Pending mesh implant claims in various state and federal courts have been estimated to overshoot the 50,000 mark, with the most number in West Virginia centralized into six multidistrict litigations (MDL). With a few mesh lawsuits already resolved in court, trials for the other defendants have been scheduled for 2014.
Sources:
webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/tc/pelvic-organ-prolapse-topic-overview
fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/UroGynSurgicalMesh/ucm262299.htm
huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/08/pelvic-mesh-lawsuits-surgical_n_2647435.html
mayoclinic.com/health/urinary-incontinence-surgery/WO00126
About the Author:
Women are susceptible to different kinds of diseases and there are tons of conditions that are only seen in women. This is the reason why you need to know about mesh implant beforehand.
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