Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
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.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Michelle O’Neill is absolutely correct in her call for this, but the North being the North; it is pretty obvious that the push from Michelle and the pushback from Arlene stems from something other than Coronavirus/public health.
@LangerDan: What about that funeral she attended not so long ago. Didn’t see much social distancing, did you? Plus did everybody there do self isolation after? Only thing she did with that statement was prove she is every bit hypocrite that she shamelessly branded to others.
@Richard Cronin: There has been more than enough hypocrisy to share around during this pandemic from many quarters. However it is important that we do not allow past hypocrisy create tunnel vision. I’d rather a hypocrite make a U-Turn than stick dogmatically to their original position. The issue here is, it makes perfect epidemiological sense to have an island wide solution to this; but the Northern parties are so entrenched in Green-Orange politics that such sound calls get proposed and opposed under a different light.
@LangerDan: so why are all the airports & harbors open? It’s not like the virus is going away anytime soon. Plus how is all this to be payed for? Most hypocrites are around for the sound bites but not for actual problem solving
@LangerDan: cash for ash foster would rather flood the place with unchecked tourists than listen to sf warning
She’s 100% right but unfortunately has undermined her own authority on Covid by attending Sinn Féin funeral that broke all common sense rules of social distancing.
@Brendan Walsh: hypocrisy in action
@Brendan Walsh: she had no choice, she was only following orders.
@John Mulligan: yaaaaawwwwwnnnn
@Richard Cronin: it is 14 days today since that funeral and as the numbers show, it was so well organised around social distancing regulations that not a single case of covid has been traced to it.
@M Bowe: actually 21 days.
@M Bowe: the west Brits are out in style
Poor Arlene. Would sooner see her people dessimated by a lethal virus than give an inch on her beloved Union.
@Toon Army: Maybe Michelle and colleagues should have thought of that before organising a mass attendance at a recent funeral.
@TL55: I don’t think they planned on a funeral??
Sinn Fein demanding internment for people entering Ireland. Detained without trial. Hilarious.
Does anyone really take this woman seriously?
@Brian Renaghan: Of course not Arlene Foster is a relic of the old era but luckily people are listening to Michelle O’Neill and taking what she says seriously.
When it came to closing and opening schools, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales took a different approach than England, so why are they insistant that they MUST now maintain the common travel area controls (or rather a lack of controls) with the rest of UK.
It really is hard to take anything from SF seriously. This type of proposal requires consensus from the executive and that is the forum for such an initiative. This solo run is just sectarian politics at its worst.
@camio55: do you even know what sectarianism is. Maybe check it out before using it!!!!!
@M Bowe: Sectarianism is a form of prejudice, discrimination, or hatred arising from attaching relations of inferiority and superiority to differences between subdivisions within a group.
Never thought I’d end up on Arlene’s side. Strange times.
Yet she went to a funeral where how many people attended? Calling for holding areas for people without due process? Congratulations you are every bit the hypocrite you shamelessly brand other politicians
@Richard Cronin: you are giving her too much credit. She doesn’t have any say in policy, she was appointed by the army council and is just a mouthpiece for them, the same as her clone in the south.
This is just an attempt by her handlers to leverage the covid crisis to suit their own agenda.
Sinner wants to stop traffic from Britain and align with Republic. Shocker
And the Republic of Ireland needs to protect itself from the spread of Covid-19 from Northern Ireland and vice-versa by limiting mass gatherings including attending IRA funerals, Michelle, Mary Lou and Pearse.
The porous border that the Unionists love could kill a lot of people !
have your say