Yes, surgical mesh is still used for some pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repairs, but its use, especially transvaginal mesh (TVM), has significantly decreased in countries like the US, UK, and Australia due to serious complications, with many health bodies restricting or removing it for most POP cases, favoring native tissue repairs or other mesh types (like abdominal) while reserving TVM for severe, recurrent cases where other treatments failed, under strict monitoring.
Surgeons can perform a type of pelvic organ prolapse repair called a sacrocolpopexy using da Vinci technology. With da Vinci, your surgeon sits at a console next to you and operates using tiny, fully wristed instruments. A camera provides a high-definition, 3D magnified view inside your body.
Women seeking treatment for pelvic organ prolapse after the FDA's April 2019 transvaginal mesh ban have safe alternatives including native tissue repair, vaginal pessaries, pelvic floor physical therapy, and abdominal sacrocolpopexy.
Surgeons are no longer trained in mesh-free repairs and many do not know how to remove implants, doctors have warned. Below is a story which is in the iNews August 2025 and speaks to members of Sling The Mesh and also three healthcare professionals who speak of the problems with hernia mesh implants.
It has been withdrawn in Australia for the treatment of most pelvic organ prolapse. While this treatment is successful for many women, some unfortunately have complications very soon after their operation or years later. For these women, the complications can be serious, debilitating and life-altering.
Native-tissue repair, also called fixation or suspension, is surgery to treat uterine or vaginal vault prolapse without the use of mesh. The reconstructive surgery is done through an incision in the vagina. The surgeon uses stitches to attach the prolapsed part to a ligament or muscle in the pelvis.
Use of surgical mesh through the vagina to treat pelvic organ prolapse is linked to higher rates of mesh-related problems. These problems include mesh poking through the vaginal wall, pelvic pain and pain during sex. If you've had this type of surgery, keep up with your routine care.
In 70 to 90 percent of cases, colporrhaphy successfully repairs pelvic organ prolapse. And because the operation is minimally invasive, patients are often able to fully return to their normal activities upon healing, including sexual intercourse.
Surgeons use natural tissue from your body to repair your inguinal hernia instead of mesh. Because it uses tissue from your body, this treatment often has better outcomes than other options. It also means that there is no foreign object in your body, which reduces your risk of infection.
Pain, erosion, voiding dysfunction, infection, recurrent UTIs [urinary tract infections (UTIs)], fistulae, organ perforation, bleeding, vaginal scarring, neuromuscular alterations, LUTS (lower urinary tract symptoms), bowel complications and even immune disorders have been linked to mesh.
Colpocleisis is the safest surgical procedure to treat prolapse with the least amount of complications. Although rare, if you experience a complication, your urogynecologist will address this immediately utilizing surgical or non-surgical techniques.
It is estimated that between 11 to 19% of females undergo surgery for prolapse or incontinence by the age of 80 to 85 years, with 30% of these individuals potentially requiring additional prolapse repair procedures [14,19,20].
In our department, a subtotal hysterectomy is the standard technique when performing sacrocolpopexy or pectopexy, with or without a mesh, as it has been shown in our experience to lead to excellent postoperative results, high level of patient satisfaction and low recurrence rate.
Studies show that about 80 percent of prolapse surgeries are still successful after 10 years. About 10 to 20 percent of women will have some movement or bulging again, but it's usually not enough to need another surgery. Only about two to three percent of women will need a repeat prolapse surgery.
Based on these results, “It is reasonable for providers to instruct patients to resume physical activity ad lib after prolapse surgery,” said Dr. O'Shea. “Patients who resumed activity right away after surgery did just as well as those who were told to avoid lifting or activity for six weeks.”
Prolapse surgical treatment cost and coverage
Most insurance plans, including Medicare, cover these procedures. Consult your insurance carrier to find out the specific criteria for coverage.
Surgeons are therefore careful in selecting patients for MESH implant and surgeons use MESH when it is relatively safe and necessary. A mesh is often used in prolapse surgery. A prolapse is a protrusion of the rectum ( lower bowel) from outside the anus and it can come completely out after having your bowels open.
How long does surgical mesh last? Non-absorbable mesh permanently strengthens and reinforces your muscle or tissue. Absorbable mesh isn't permanent. Your body slowly takes it in and replaces it with new tissue or muscle over time.
The Shouldice procedure has been around and well-studied since 1945 and is a proven alternative to the traditional open inguinal hernia repair with mesh. The concept of the Shouldice repair is to restore the abdominal wall and groin region to normal anatomy using only sutures (stitches).
Prolapse patients who do not want to use mesh have the option of undergoing native tissue repair with a hysterectomy. “I learned the vaginal approach for treating prolapse during my fellowship, and there is a lot of supporting evidence that this native tissue repair is a very reasonable option,” Dr. El-Nashar says.
Some studies show that while pessaries and surgery both improve symptoms for advanced-stage pelvic organ prolapse, surgery may provide more long-term satisfaction.
Gellhorn. The Gellhorn is generally the pessary of choice for more advanced-stage prolapse, or in a patient who is no longer sexually active.
Hernia mesh surgery can cause bowel complications, the most serious of which are bowel obstruction and perforations. If the mesh moves, it can obstruct the bowel, trapping loops of the intestine. Mesh may also cause inflammation of the bowel. Bowel obstructions are serious and require immediate treatment.
Results. The mean follow-up of 3321 women was 7.4 years, during which 443 (13%) underwent reoperation for prolapse; 13.9% after native tissue, 10.1% after transvaginal mesh, and 12.1% after abdominal mesh repair (p = 0.09).
2. Bloating and fullness in the abdomen. If an organ slips down, you may feel bloated in your lower abdomen area.