Vaginal mesh claims

Since 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines have stated that it is necessary to offer physiotherapy and other less invasive treatments prior to offering vaginal mesh.

Without being made aware of the potential side effects and alternatives, a patient cannot give informed consent to a mesh procedure.

You may be entitled to medical negligence compensation if:

1. You have experienced negative effects following a mesh implant;
2. You believe you were not adequately warned of the potential risks and/or were not offered any alternative treatments; and
3. You can show that you would have taken a different treatment, or indeed no treatment at all, if you had been given this information at the time.

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Thompsons Solicitors is always open and transparent about legal fees and we always recommend clients beginning their compensation claim on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis. You can learn more about this by visiting our fees and payment page or speaking to one of our legal advisors today on 0800 0 224 224.

Yes. Some complications have been known to manifest themselves years after insertion of the mesh.

The time limit for making vaginal mesh claims is within three years of the date you could have reasonably known that your injury was a result of medical negligence. The clock would start ticking, for example, following a diagnosis by a GP or any other medical professional that mesh is the cause of your problems. This means that, even if you underwent a mesh procedure and you are only now experiencing pain and discomfort, you could still be eligible to make a vaginal mesh claim.

Talk to our mesh lawyers today for more information on how to begin your claim for vaginal mesh compensation.

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Thompsons Solicitors urges anyone who thinks they have been injured as a result of a vaginal mesh procedure to contact their GP immediately to determine the cause of pain.

If your GP or another medical expert concludes that your mesh implant is the cause of your suffering, or even if your pain is unexplained, Thompsons Solicitors’ mesh lawyers can help investigate whether you can secure vaginal mesh compensation.

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Yes. Many vaginal mesh implant surgeries have been performed in private hospitals.

Thompsons Solicitors has successfully secured significant compensation in medical negligence claims against private healthcare providers.

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There are three different types of vaginal mesh implant used to treat incontinence:

1. Tension-free Vaginal Tape (TVT)
2. Tension-free Vaginal Transobturator Tape (TVT-O)
3. Transobturator Tape (TOT).

There is also another type of vaginal mesh implant called Transvaginal Mesh (TVM), which is used to treat prolapse.

All of these mesh implants can have unpleasant side effects, therefore it is important that patients are given detailed information and offered alternative treatments before undergoing mesh surgery.  

Historically, TVT-O and TOT also had less clinical evidence of their potential effectiveness than TVT. This should have been made clear to patients before they received TVT-O or TOT mesh.

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Vaginal mesh is inserted by medical professionals to treat health issues such as incontinence, prolapse and hernias. It is usually placed under the urethra to act as a sling through vaginal procedures, including TVT (tension-free vaginal tape) mesh surgery.

There are concerns that little or no information about mesh surgery complications has been provided to those treated and, in some cases, the information provided was incorrect.

There are fears that many of the surgeons that carried out the procedures were inadequately trained surgeons. Surgeons have also been criticised for failing to investigate less intrusive procedures before proceeding with vaginal mesh surgery. Problems can also occur when defective mesh implants are removed. The damage can be life-changing and irreversible.

Complications reported include:

• Chronic pain, especially in the abdomen and pelvic areas
• Bleeding
• Difficulty or inability to walk
• Bladder perforation
• Bladder infection
• Haematoma
• Vaginal erosion or scarring
• Bowel and nerve trauma
• Incontinence
• Mesh erosion or protrusion.

If you think you have suffered complications following your mesh surgery, get in touch with Thompsons Solicitors for advice on how to make a vaginal mesh claim.

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