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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  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 […]
• 
  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 […]
• 
  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 […]
• 
  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’ […]
• 
  Mesh‑injured women recognised in Women’s Health Strategy Speech
  We welcome the speech in Parliament today that recognised the mesh‑injured community in the new refreshed Women’s Health Strategy, thanks to Health Minister Karin Smyth who explicitly acknowledged how our pain was ignored for years. That recognition did not happen by accident, it happened because we made a fuss, typing emails furiously – refusing to let the mesh‑injured community be […]
• 
  The 2026 Women’s Health Strategy – has mesh dropped to the bottom of the pile?
  Today the government launched the refreshed Women’s Health Strategy and we are deeply upset to see no mention of mesh injured women and mesh centres in the media announcements from Government nor of the need for pelvic floor physiotherapy education for girls in school – despite a pledge for better education around periods. A brief reference to the postcode lottery […]
• 
  I walked Cornwall’s coastal paths – now I struggle to walk at all
  I was 56 when I had mesh implanted. I was an active person and walked miles. Did allof the Cornwall coastal path with mesh fitted until I got pain in lower tummy. Had mesh removed but the damage was done and I now feel like an invalid and am always in discomfort. Even though I had good times with it […]
• 
  My last thought will be with the people suffering from hernia mesh
  Our thoughts and deepest respects are with French actor / theatre director and hernia mesh advocate Arnaud Dennis who is in an assisted dying clinic in Belgium. In this powerful interview the 42 year old speaks about how he is awaiting approval for euthanasia after devastating complications from a hernia mesh that destroyed his life. In this final public appeal, […]
• 
  Unscrupulous lawyer targets vulnerable mesh clients
  Members of Sling The Mesh, already affected by physical injury, mental health distress and financial harm, have experienced a further breach of trust – while seeking legal redress. In good faith scores of our members instructed solicitor Darren Hanison of Fortitude Law to act for them. He promised justice and compensation. Instead, some were subjected to what a tribunal has […]
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  Taking the fight for mesh justice to 10 Downing Street
  We are urging the Prime Minister to commit to a long‑overdue compensation scheme for women harmed by pelvic mesh – and set out a clear timeframe and firm dates for action.