Vaginal mesh is currently not being used due to suspension in the United Kingdom while in the United States over 100,000 people have submitted compensation claims due to injuries and illnesses that the believe arose from the use of vaginal mesh.

The ban in the UK is in place until the outcomes of an independent safety review are fully considered, a study that began after thousands of women reported harrowing complications following the use of vaginal mesh to treat them. Typical pain sustained by those with complications include chronic pain, soreness while having sex, pain during daily working duties and difficulty while walking. Soreness and injuries such as these happen due to vaginal mesh slicing organs or impacting tissue and causing permanent nerve damage.

In the UK, expert chemist Dr Chris DeArmitt, has helped approximately 9,000 women to settle their vaginal mesh compensation claims settled. DeArmitt, a leading medical expert in the UK has been called upon during court action against producers of vaginal mesh and said, during an interview with Sky News, that the use of the material is unsafe.

He said: “There are two main reasons why any plastics material expert will tell you just obviously that this is a bad material and I have never heard anyone who disagrees with me. I see an absolute disregard for proper testing. Testing is way less than you would see on a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine. It’s shocking. I’ve never seen anything like it in my career.”

There have been a number of case in relation to use if vaginal mesh in Ireland during recent years. This was especially so in 2017. A number of women began legal actions in this year as they had seen news reports in the United Kingdom in relation to pain and suffering that the use of vaginal mesh can cause.

The US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), made the sale of all mesh intended for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse illegal as a result of the many safety issues witnessed among the general public.

The UK’s National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE), however, has said that vaginal mesh will be a potential alternative form of treatment for women suffering from various injuries once the current ban is removed. A statement from NICE said “The benefits and risks of each type of treatment are laid out to ensure every woman is fully informed. Where the evidence is limited, this is also highlighted. There are a number of procedures recommended by NICE, including mesh procedures.”