As we join campaigners globally to celebrate New Zealand’s suspension of mesh slings for incontinence due to safety concerns, new evidence from Canada published just two days earlier, promotes the SAME PRODUCT as an effective treatment option.

This is the bizarre and incredibly frustrating world of mesh implants.

The same mesh, causing the same harm, to the same women, but it depends where you live as to whether it can be used in your country or not.

Additionally, depending where you look, some scientific publications audit the risks of treatment while others – like the latest study from Canada – buries its head deep in the sand and instead focuses on the benefit to urinary symptoms, while failing to properly assess the risks.

It means patient safety advocacy is like a giant game of chess – but a hideous version where innocent people get hurt.

In groundhog day style, the latest Canadian study focuses on whether mesh fixes stress incontinence and not on the new onset of life changing, irreversible complications such as chronic pain. This was how mesh was promoted for years until campaigners began highlighting the scientific flaws and pulling the evidence apart.

History of mesh sling suspension

Mesh slings for incontinence were first suspended in Scotland in 2014. This became a UK-wide suspension in 2018, followed by the latest suspension in New Zealand in August 2023. All due to the high risk of complications.

Yet in this latest evidence from Canada, authors claim: “mesh used in midurethral slings is not associated with the same complications as mesh used for pelvic organ prolapse.”

Not true.

It also says women who are postmenopausal are at higher risk of mesh exposure / erosion, where mesh turns brittle and quite literally cuts through the vaginal wall, organs or nerves like an internal knife.

Also not true.

It’s the same polypropylene material with the same issues following implantation where the material can harden, twist, fragment and leach toxins.

Moreover, women of all ages and stages of their menstrual cycle or menopause are suffering.

Members of our 10,000 strong support group have a wide range of health complications from both stress incontinence mesh slings and prolapse mesh, including rectopexy mesh. It’s the same issues of chronic pain, erosion, plus a host of autoimmune diseases and allergies.

Almost one in five women suffer

The UK Monarch Study cites a risk of pain following mesh slings for incontinence as 18% – that is a whopping almost one in five chance of suffering long term pain. Yet this paper has the audacity to include this positive spin for people to easily share on social media: Tweetable abstract: Retropubic tape has superior efficacy to transobturator tape. Complications are comparable with low rates.

The UK Keltie Study shows at least one in 10 women experience complications following a mesh sling surgery for incontinence. Even this study under estimates the true numbers suffering as it relies on NHS hospital admission data. Not everyone with mesh problems is admitted to hospital. Additionally, the data omits women who attended private hospitals with mesh complications.

Where do we go from here?

The world of mesh campaigning shows there are different viewpoints in different countries and different “evidence” abstracts and recommendations depending on which scientific papers you choose to read and believe.

So, while we all quite rightly celebrate the superb achievements and tenacity of women in New Zealand who achieved the incontinence mesh suspension on August 23, 2023, we also shake our heads in dismay when we see the new evidence from Canada published just two days earlier on August 21, promoting it as a good treatment option.

Patient safety needs joined up thinking to protect women globally.