Some women with small mesh exposures in the vagina or mild pain from mesh being “folded” or “raised” under the vaginal surface can get relief from using vaginal estrogen creams or pills, which are placed in the vagina 3 times a week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Our physicians and advanced practice providers evaluate each patient presenting with a mesh problem and determine if this could help patients without the need for surgery.
Some women with pain from mesh, either with or without other mesh-related problems, get relief from physical therapy either before surgery or instead of surgery. We want to treat all the pain and strain in the pelvis, not only address the mesh. Our physical therapy team consists of 6 dedicated physical therapists who specialize in not only pelvic muscle release and balancing, but in a wide variety of training for you to alleviate stress, strain, and pain around the mesh and the surrounding muscles and tissues. Learn more about physical therapy at: https://www.voicesforpfd.org/about/physical-therapy/
Some women with very small mesh exposures in the vagina can have mesh trimmed or cut in the office with topical numbing medicines or injections of numbing medicine. Our physicians are experts in determining if these procedures can be done safely in the office or need to be done in the operating room. Learn more at: https://www.voicesforpfd.org/mesh/mesh/
Some women with pain, mesh exposure in the vagina, or other mesh problems can have the mesh removed through the vagina, either partly or totally. These surgeries can often relieve mesh problems without the need for surgery in the abdomen or through the belly. Learn more at: https://www.voicesforpfd.org/mesh/mesh/
Some women with pain, mesh exposure in the vagina, or other mesh problems need surgery that involves the removal of mesh from organs other than the vagina, or the surgeon needs to move or remove other organs to fix the mesh problem. Our physicians are experts in mesh repair and have specialized training in the removal or revision of mesh, and our team is experienced in preparing patients for these surgeries and caring for them afterward. We typically partner with colleagues in Urology or Colorectal Surgery, also experts in the field, to repair these more complex mesh-related problems, and we are the premier referral center for the repair of mesh problems in the state. Learn more at: https://www.voicesforpfd.org/mesh/mesh/
Pain IMAP Study: We are recruiting women with various pelvic pain problems, including those who had pain problems related to pelvic mesh, to answer surveys regarding how they make choices and how they feel about certain treatments for pelvic pain, including pain from mesh and decisions about mesh removal or revision. Contact the research team at (505) 967-8428 to learn more.
We are not currently in any other research studies on mesh complications, but please stay tuned! Our doctors have been in many studies to investigate the safest and best ways to remove, alter, or loosen mesh for patients throughout the years, and we want to learn more in the future.