Leading medical negligence law firm, Thompsons Solicitors is urging any woman suffering pain after undergoing tension-free vaginal tape surgery to seek legal advice, amid reports that hundreds of women had reported adverse health reactions.

In October last year, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published the results of its assessment into the benefits and risks of vaginal mesh implants and concluded that ‘the benefit outweighs the risk’ and that there was not a sufficient enough body of evidence to remove these devices from the market. Since this report, hundreds of women have continued to call for a ban of the medical procedure.

What is surgical mesh?

Women, particularly post pregnancy or after a hysterectomy, can suffer from incontinence as the pelvic floor deteriorates and the involuntary release of urine during activities such as laughing or coughing can become a problem.

Surgical mesh or tension-free vaginal tape is often inserted under the urethra to keep it in position and prevent this from happening.

While TVT surgery is widely considered as routine, it can cause a number of avoidable complications which are considered as surgical errors and could therefore be considered as clinical negligence.

What problems are associated with the TVT procedure?

A number of symptoms have been identified which relate to TVT mesh implants, including:

• Chronic pain
• The inability to walk
• Bleeding and infection
• The reversal of surgery
• Problems going to the loo
• Incontinence
• Vaginal scarring
• Abdominal and pelvic pain
• Mesh erosion or protrusion

Linda Millband, joint national practice lead of the clinical negligence team at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “Many women opt to have TVT mesh implants as it could dramatically improve their quality of life, but the reality can be quite the opposite. The repercussions of errors with TVT surgery may not just be physical and, in the worst cases, a person may experience psychological effects and financial difficulties if they have to stop work.

“If anyone has undergone TVT surgery and is experiencing any of the adverse side-effects, we would urge them to contact a doctor as soon as possible, but also to seek legal advice to see if a medical negligence claim may be an appropriate next step.”