Mesh implants are used by surgeons to reinforce weak tissue in operations for prolapse, stress incontinence (male and female), hernias, and some breast reconstructions. They are also used in some veterinary surgeries.

Most surgical mesh is a permanent polypropylene implant. Over time, it can harden, fragment, or twist, causing severe complications such as pain, infections, nerve and organ damage, autoimmune disorders, and allergic reactions. Reported conditions include UTIs, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, lupus, psoriasis, and food intolerances. Similar issues are seen with biomesh made from pig or cow tissue.

Complications may arise immediately or years later, making the true scale of harm difficult to track. Removal is major, complex surgery and sometimes impossible. See our Surveys page for details of complications.

Pelvic mesh was introduced with minimal evidence and, for years, lacked a specific hospital code, meaning NHS data vastly underestimates those affected. New products continue to be approved under flimsy approval systems such as Europe’s “Equivalence” and the US 510(k), which allow devices to be cleared without robust safety trials. One Oxford professor even demonstrated that supermarket orange netting could meet approval criteria.

Globally, long-term complications remain poorly recorded.

For background reading on the role of industry funding in the mesh scandal this article by Jonathan Gornall describes how mesh became a four-letter word.

Campaign – what we do

• Financial redress; ongoing lobbying for compensation ℹ️ℹ️
• Improved pathways of care for all mesh injured patients ℹ️
• Advocate for Sunshine transparency legislation modelled on the US system ℹ️ℹ️
• Champion all nine First Do No Harm recommendations, a report we led on ℹ️ℹ️
• Secured the Medical Devices Outcomes Registry to track implant outcomes ℹ️ℹ️
• Influenced landmark APPRAISE study tracking patient outcomes after pelvic surgeries ℹ️ℹ️
• International awareness highlighting a need for fully informed patient consent ℹ️ℹ️
• Bad science; empower patients, policymakers and media to spot flawed research ℹ️ℹ️
• Promote mandatory reporting by doctors to the MHRA Yellow Card system ℹ️
• Advocate for fair legal time limits for harmed patients #raisethelimit ℹ️

📧 Get in touch: slingthemesh@gmail.com

Latest from Sling The Mesh

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  More than 100 MPs are urged to back pelvic mesh and valproate compensation
  We are backing calls for the Government to compensate women harmed by pelvic mesh and the epilepsy drug sodium valproate, as a key deadline approaches next month. Patient Safety Commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes has urged ministers to confirm by 16 July whether a compensation scheme will be introduced. In 2024, her Hughes Report called for a two-stage redress scheme for […]
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  So Proud of my mum on BBC Breakfast
  My incredible mum was on BBC Breakfast this morning… and of course she was wearing clothes from my shop Unscripted! She was bravely sharing her story about pelvic mesh and the devastating impact it’s had on her life. Many of you will know my mum, Mandy, as one of our biggest shopaholics in store (I definitely know where I get […]
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  Government under pressure as the Patient Safety Commissioner demands answers on compensation
  Today’s media coverage marks another significant moment in the fight for justice for women harmed by pelvic mesh. This morning, BBC Breakfast featured a powerful interview with mesh-injured patient Mandy Bridge alongside Patient Safety Commissioner Professor Henrietta Hughes. Together, they highlighted the urgent need for the government to finally act on compensation for victims – something that was first recommended […]
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  How can they not know? Missing data and half-measures continue to fail mesh-injured women
  I asked what I thought was an easy mesh data question. Except nobody at NHS England can answer. Which tells us everything about gaps in accountability. The question? How many women have had to have part of their bladder or bowel removed because pelvic mesh eroded into their organs? How many are now living with a stoma bag because of […]
• 
  The immune story behind mesh complications
  A new study reveals how the immune system behaves in people who have had complications from surgical mesh implants. Result? There is evidence of ongoing, abnormal immune activation throughout the body, not just at the implant site. Most research on mesh complications looks at local problems such as damage or inflammation where the mesh is placed. However, this paper asks […]
• 
  How cheap plastic mesh remains a cash cow
  Surgical mesh is generating millions for medical device companies for one simple reason: it is cheap to manufacture and easy to sell. From prolapse and bladder leaks to hernia repair, breast reconstruction, bowel surgery and even veterinary use, the same plastic products are repackaged and marketed across multiple conditions. Each relies on short‑term trials that measure early surgical success while […]
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  Rectopexy mesh journey published in a memoir
  I have documented a full and detailed account in my memoir ‘The Grace of a Nightingale’. My story tells how I became seriously ill, there was a significant delay in diagnosis, harm  and subsequent life changing losses – career (university lecturer), marriage, home and friends. My story goes onto tell how despite the trauma I survived and rebuilt my life. […]
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  A life changed by mesh surgery that I didn’t consent to
  Hi my name is Pamela and my story started in 2002 a year after my second C-section, but I will fast forward to 2014 when after years of crying and help my local hospital finally agreed to open me up to see what was causing my pain in my groin area. When I woke from surgery I was told they […]
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  A life changed forever by a medical device that wasn’t properly regulated
  This has been life changing; I now have to walk with a crutch, my driving license was taken off me and am on powerful medication and morphine for life. I lost my business, lost so much money and lost the life I had. Not to mention the mental side. I can’t get over the fact that this didn’t need to […]
• 
  Mesh has gravely impacted the life of Karen and her family
  I had my mesh put in December 2010 for bladder incontinence and by the end of 2011  I was back and forward with pain in my pubic bone, urine infections, sciatica and leg pain. The GP said it couldn’t be the bladder mesh. I went on hospital scans, had infections and was bed bound; constantly in pain, always told it […]
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  Why we need studies that shine a light on the hidden influence of industry
  When we talk about trust in healthcare, we usually picture doctors and nurses doing their best for the people they serve. We rarely picture corporate spreadsheets, political backchannels, or money quietly changing hands. Yet that blind spot is exactly why studies like Sharon Batt’s Healthcare Partnerships, Medical Scandals and Canada’s Lack of Transparency in Pharmaceutical Donations are so important. Batt’s […]
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  NHS’s £20m compensation bill over rogue surgeon
  Story courtesy of the Daily Mail A disgraced surgeon whose botched treatments injured over 450 patients has cost the NHS nearly £20million in compensation payouts, it can be revealed. Anthony Dixon, 65, was struck off last year after two separate tribunals found he had committed misconduct. He was found to have used surgical mesh to treat bowel complaints without patients’ […]