Recent patient contact
In February 2020, and again in September 2021, the Federal Court of Australia issued subpoenas requiring Queensland Health to provide to the court the contact details (name, address and phone number) of women who may have had pelvic mesh implanted in a Queensland Health facility. The purpose was to notify women of class actions underway in relation to certain pelvic (transvaginal) surgical mesh implants.
Queensland Health is not legally allowed to advise or make comment on the class actions but does have a duty of care to provide relevant healthcare information to inform and assist people in their healthcare decisions. For this reason, Queensland Health have contacted women, via letter, who may have undergone a procedure, or had surgery where pelvic mesh was implanted.
Some women may have received a letter from Queensland Health in February 2020 outlining potential complications with pelvic mesh and where to access further care. Queensland Health is committed to ensuring continuance of a high standard of care and understand that some women’s conditions may have changed since our last contact. If you have received information from Queensland Health about this issue for the first time in September 2021, or you have developed any new symptoms and have any concerns about your condition since you were last contacted, this page contains information that might help you seek further assistance.
Frequently asked questions about pelvic mesh
Understanding pelvic mesh
Pelvic mesh is a manufactured product made of plastic that has been used for surgical treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. It is surgically placed either through the abdomen or through the vagina to provide extra support to weakened tissues. Mesh products are also known as a sling, tape, ribbon or hammock.
It has been widely used internationally since the 1990s and approximately 150,000 Australian women have had this surgery in the last twenty years.
It has been identified by the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA), the organisation that regulates the use of medical devices and medications in Australia, that complications can occur with pelvic mesh, causing significant effects on the quality of life for some women and their families. Complications that women experience may be minor or temporary, however some women are experiencing serious and ongoing problems.
Pelvic mesh (also referred to as transvaginal mesh) has been used in the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence since the late 1990s. Concerns regarding pelvic mesh complications developed internationally, with national action resulting in the Senate Inquiry into the Number of women in Australia who have had transvaginal mesh implants and related matters held in 2017.
Since February 2018, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which is responsible for the regulation of medical devices in Australia, has restricted use of transvaginal mesh insertion for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and removed the use of what is called a single incision mesh mini sling which treated stress urinary incontinence.
Nationally, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has developed guidance for patients, general practitioners, clinicians and health services on using pelvic mesh products for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. The ACSQHC collaborated with patients who have experienced complications, TGA representatives and clinical experts, to guide development of:
- treatment and care pathways for pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence
- service models to support treatment of mesh complications and to undertake mesh removal
- training and credentialing of clinicians who implant and remove mesh for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence
- data collection and reporting of device use and adverse events
- patient decision support tools
- information for GPs.
Several class actions have commenced in the Federal Court of Australia against multiple manufacturers that promoted and supplied certain pelvic mesh devices to Australian doctors and hospitals. You may be or may already have been contacted in connection with those proceedings.
If you have had surgery for stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse you may have had mesh implanted. If you are unsure whether pelvic mesh was used in your procedure, we encourage you to see your general practitioner to talk about your surgery. If your GP does not have the information about your surgery, you can request your medical records by contacting the Privacy and Confidentiality Contact Officer in the hospital where your surgery was performed.
Please contact 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for assistance.
Pelvic mesh and complications
Many women haven’t experienced any complications with pelvic mesh. However, if you believe you are experiencing pelvic mesh related symptoms or complications, or if you are concerned about your health following pelvic mesh surgery, please make an appointment with your GP to discuss your concerns.
Many complications that women experience may be minor or temporary, however some women are experiencing serious and ongoing complications. Women with pelvic mesh inserted have experienced complications including: chronic pelvic pain, bleeding or discharge as a result of mesh becoming exposed through the vaginal wall, infection, pain during intercourse, difficulty sitting and walking, difficulty passing urine or incontinence, and organ perforation. A list of complications can also be found on the TGA's website.
We encourage you to see your GP to discuss your symptoms and to seek a referral to a specialist. Assessment, treatment and care may involve a number of different health professionals to provide relief from symptoms and to improve your quality of life. If you have pelvic mesh complications, your GP may also offer to refer you to the Queensland Pelvic Mesh Service which is a state-wide service located on the Gold Coast, providing treatment and care to women from across Queensland.
Many women have not experienced any complications from mesh. However, if you are concerned about anything or want to discuss if you need to do anything, you should see a GP or your surgeon to discuss this.
Four proceedings are underway against Astora Women’s Health LLC, Boston Scientific, Ethicon Sarle and TFS manufacturing. In early 2020 a similar proceeding was commenced against Johnson and Johnson Medical Pty Ltd.
Queensland Health can only provide advice on the health implications of pelvic mesh, and direct you to where to see clinical advice.
If you have any enquiries or concerns in relation to the class actions, please do not direct them to Queensland Health, your treating hospital or to the Court. Your questions should be directed to Shine Lawyers on 1800 618 851 or email prolapsemesh@shine.com.au, AJB Stevens Lawyers on (02) 8268 0600 or email at info@ajbstevens.com.au, or you should seek your own legal advice.
The Queensland Pelvic Mesh Service
The Queensland Pelvic Mesh Service is a state-wide service with a team of specialists dedicated to providing comprehensive care to women with pelvic mesh complications to assist women to recover and improve their quality of life. The Service was co-designed by clinicians and mesh affected women and is located at Varsity Lakes Day Hospital on the Gold Coast. It offers medical, surgical and nursing assessment and treatment, physiotherapy, social work support, chronic pain management, continence management and counselling.
This is a publicly funded service.
If you are experiencing health complications due to pelvic mesh surgery, you will need a referral from your GP.
You are eligible to be referred if you meet certain criteria that your GP can discuss with you, but includes:
- have had vaginally or abdominally placed mesh products for treatment of vaginal prolapse and/or urinary incontinence; and
- currently reside in the state of Queensland or had your initial mesh surgery performed in the state of Queensland. Referrals from the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service catchment area will also be accepted; and
- your quality of life is adversely affected by the mesh-related issues; and
- you are willing to participate in further assessment within a multidisciplinary service.
Please be assured if you are not experiencing complications from mesh you do not have to seek immediate medical advice or treatment. You should contact your GP or specialist if you are concerned, and you can do this on your return back home if you are not experiencing any symptoms.
If you are experiencing any symptoms or have any concerns at any time, we recommend you make time to see any GP where you are.
A specialist doctor (urogynaecologist) will need to undertake an assessment with you to work out whether mesh removal is an option for your individual needs and if it will help to improve your health and wellbeing. There are also non-surgical treatment options that can improve quality of life for women with pelvic mesh complications that may be offered. Based on your assessments, the options available for your individual needs and situation will be discussed.
If you are referred to the service and live 50 kms away from Varsity Lakes, there is financial support provided through the Queensland Health Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme for transport and accommodation. Info can be found at Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme.
As you may have been advised by the hospital, legally, hospitals in Queensland must keep medical records for at least 7 years from the date the patient was provided with their treatment. Following this, hospitals can destroy medical records according to strict procedures.
However, some women have been able to access operation notes or other information from their GP at the time or through their surgeon directly. You may wish to follow up these options.
If these options aren’t successful you may wish to make an appointment with your GP to ask for a referral to your local specialist service to discuss potential tests that could be undertaken. Whilst tests may not be able to confirm the type of device implanted, they may provide you with an understanding on whether you have a mesh device and the placement of this device.
Contact from Queensland Health
There is a lot of attention relating to pelvic mesh in mainstream media, social media, legal circles and in some healthcare settings. We wrote to women to be sure you have access to accurate and up-to-date information about the issues with pelvic mesh, the complications experienced by some women, and most importantly, what treatment options are available to you, and where you can seek help.
You may have received similar correspondence in February 2020. We recognise that some women may continue to have concerns, or their symptoms may have changed. We wanted to be sure that women were provided with current information that can help them with their choice of where to seek treatment if required.
The Federal Court of Australia has required Queensland Health provide your name, address and phone number to the Court to notify you of class actions against certain transvaginal surgical mesh implants. It is anticipated that women will receive a notification providing them with the details of these class actions in late September 2021. Queensland Health is not legally allowed to advise or make comment on the class actions but we do have a duty of care to ensure you have current health information and are aware of where help can be sought if required. That’s why we have reached out to you again.
If you
- had surgery that may have involved mesh, and
- had that surgery in a Queensland Health facility and
- have not received a letter prior to 11 October 2021, and
- would like to receive a letter
please contact 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) and the team will arrange for a letter to be sent.
If you have not received a letter prior to 11 October 2021, please contact 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) and provide your first name, surname, date of birth, previous address and current address. The team will arrange for a new letter to be sent to your new address.
Please contact 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for assistance.
We are sorry that you have been inconvenienced in this way and understand receiving information of this nature may be distressing.
As identified in a recent Senate Inquiry into Pelvic Mesh, the ability to specifically identify women who had mesh implanted over the last 20 years is not possible. However, Queensland Health was able to identify if women have had a type of procedure or treatment that was related to Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Stress Urinary Incontinence. Queensland Health wanted to be sure to distribute patient safety information to as many women as possible who may have had mesh implanted. Subsequently, some women we contacted may not have had mesh.
If you are not the intended recipient, please write “Return to Sender’ on the envelope and post the letter back to Queensland Health (put it in an Australia Post letterbox). There is no charge for this service.
If the letter and envelope can be resealed, please reseal and mark ‘Return to Sender’ and post the letter back to Queensland Health (put in an Australia Post letterbox). There is no charge for this service.
If the letter is not able to be enclosed in the original envelope, please destroy the letter by tearing it into several small pieces and dispose of it.