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THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT has launched a retrospective audit of all women who had surgery involving a vaginal mesh implant since 2005.
The announcement comes after global scrutiny of these devices as thousands of women across the world – including in Ireland – are reporting life-changing complications after these procedures.
Vaginal mesh devices, which are made of a type of plastic called polypropelene, are used in surgeries to address stress urinary incontinence and pelvic prolapse, conditions women can suffer after natural childbirth.
Reported complications include erosion of the mesh into the vaginal wall, chronic pain and recurrent urinary tract infections. Many affected women have also spoke about the negative impact it had on their sex lives, as they experience pain during intercourse.
The UK’s health watchdog NICE had already recently recommended a ban of one of these devices – the type commonly used to treat pelvic prolapse – advising that doctors only use it for research purposes.
The watchdog said there were “serious but well-recognised safety concerns” around the use of this product.
Now the government in England has launched a full retrospective review of the cases of all women who had surgery since 2005. Sky News reports the results of the audit are expected to be announced in April after data is collected and analysed on patients’ conditions, the types of surgeries and any subsequent hospital admissions.
Pain
Women in Ireland who have experienced health problems after operations using mesh devices are calling for the government here to launch a similar audit.
The Mesh Survivors Ireland campaign protested outside the Dáil last week before giving a presentation to a number of TDs inside.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie at the protest, Lesley-Anne Stephens said she was told this would be her fix for stress urinary incontinence.
“As it is, I’m incontinent and in pain,” said Stephens, who, at 39, needs a walking stick for support.
In 2016, 728 patients in Ireland underwent a procedure to address pelvic prolapse while a further 735 had operations for stress urinary incontinence.
After the stories of a number of Irish woman were highlighted by TheJournal.ie, Health Minister Simon Harris ordered a report on the use of these devices from his department’s Chief Medical Officer. And last week Taoiseach Leo Varadkar expressed his “sympathy and concern” for the women suffering from complications.
“Any response from the Government, the HSE and the Department of Health will be compassionate and understanding and respectful of the pain and suffering of anyone who is enduring complications as a result of an operation. Further, any actions taken by government will have to be guided by best clinical advice from the experts in the field and it will have to be evidence-based.”
If you’ve been affected by this issue, we want to hear your story. Get in touch by emailing michelle@thejournal.ie.
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It’s amazing to think the amount of species lost at the end of the last ice age. Some amazing animals we just missed out on by a heartbeat of seeing. Megatherium, a sloth the size of an elephant… Mammoths, sabre-toothed cats, etc.
This whole story is BS – we all know the earth is only 5000 years old.
4.6 billion*
says who?
The reason being that the planet was hit with multiple comets 1200 years apart 12000 years ago….wiped out a lot more than animals.
@ Anto Mahon
Believe it or not, it was actually an Irishman who claimed the world was less than 5000 years old.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology
Lucky they were we probably would of just eat them or wore them.
@Talleyrand Frye good stuff pity he forgot to read Genesis 1:1 as this scripture shows that the earth could be billions of years old.
Its amazing to think in the last 40 years we have lost 50% of our worldwide wildlife http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/1409030-animals-wildlife-wwf-decline-science-world/
I heard Irish water cut them off for not paying
I think they had paid
Died of thirst waiting on the bar man in coppers
“All along these Mammoths where contributing to their own demise”. I wonder could man learn anything from that sentence
I could die of thirst with the price of beer
Again, this is a story abound a foreign country!
There never was – or never will be – any woolly mammoths in this catholic and holy country.
You will have to wait until SF/IRA get into power before we can expect total isolation from the outside world like N Korea.
Yes Leo – but, in the meantime, we have a language (Irish) that nobody else speaks and sports (GAA) that no-one else plays – so it’s a good start…
We also have our fair share of morons
Do you have to bring SF/IRA into a discussion about mammoths?
Leo is just butt hurt because he got his ass handed to him on another article about his bigotry, chap just isn`t very good at this posting lark, and tends to go from article to article spouting his crap
I think someone slagged off his Bowler hat that he was wearing a few weeks ago and he can`t seem to be able to keep it together since.
And SF/IRA never engaged in bigotry, bus?
You are Just like your mate Leo ,Dotrice
This article is about Mammoths, only the likes of you two could possibly drag bigotry, SF/IRA into it – Newsflash, you aren`t funny or controversial, or engaging
To put it simply, so your tiny little mind can understand,
You are just boring, repetitive and ridiculous.
I`d hazard a guess, that you are both the same person
Pathetic at best is how i would describe you
You brought up bigotry. Sad that insult is your only defense…☺
Last word
tool?
Not sure why we should feel sorry for them though seeing as they caused the ice-age in the first place.
Edna is a woolly mammoth!
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