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Ethicon Media Monitoring 3/28/2018
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Pelvic mesh implants 'one of the biggest medical scandals' involving Australian women
Mar 28, 2018 | ABC News
By Sophie Scott and Alison Branley
A scathing report into transvaginal mesh implants has recommended the devices "should only be used as a last resort" and found some women were not properly informed about potentially serious side effects. -
Surgical mesh advocacy group targets MPs, has Jacinda Ardern interested
Mar 28, 2018 | Stuff
By Cate Broughton
A group campaigning for better regulations on the use of surgical mesh has the prime minister interested in its cause. -
OVER THE COUNTER: For women, understanding the body gets better with age
Mar 28, 2018 | Wicked Local
By Gary Kracoff and John Walczyk
It’s funny the double standard that exists when discussing aging, sex and what happens to reproductive organs when we get older. When it’s about men, talking about intimacy and middle age (and beyond) seems acceptable, but this is not always so when it comes to women. -
Pelvic mesh-injured women were in tears over delayed inquiry report release
Mar 27, 2018 | Newcastle Herald
By Joanne McCarthy
WOMEN were in tears on Tuesday night when a Federal Government move in the Senate stopped the tabling of a long-awaited report into pelvic mesh devices.
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Pelvic mesh implants 'one of the biggest medical scandals' involving Australian women
Mar 28, 2018 | ABC News
By Sophie Scott and Alison Branley
A scathing report into transvaginal mesh implants has recommended the devices "should only be used as a last resort" and found some women were not properly informed about potentially serious side effects.
The Senate Community Affairs References Inquiry began investigating the pelvic implants after hundreds of Australian women complained of serious and debilitating side effects.
Senator Derryn Hinch, who spearheaded the inquiry, said the damage to women was far worse than the committee thought it would be.
"I believe it was one of the biggest medical scandals Australian women have ever been subjected to and there are still a lot of questions to be answered, " he said.
"Thousands of women were deformed."
The report recommends:setting up a national register to track all implantsbetter education for both doctors and patientsmore surgical training so women can get the devices removed
Senator Hinch said the committee estimated between 10,000 to 15,000 women may have suffered side effects from mesh devices.
The committee's chair, Rachel Siewert, said many of the women who received mesh suffered for a long time.
"They were ignored and treated appallingly," she said. "I hope we never have another inquiry where we see such suffering from the witnesses."'It's time to see some legislation'
Gai Thompson had a mesh device implanted nine years ago. She said it ruined her life.
"The Senate inquiry was a welcome step-forward for sufferers like me," she said.
"Now it's time to see some legislation that ensures that this never happens to another woman again."
Ms Thompson is one of the lead claimants in a class action against one of the mesh manufacturers, Johnson & Johnson, involving more than 700 women.
"The only reason any of us talk about the pain we've endured following our ordeal with this product is to impact change and prevent any other women from going through what we have," she said.
Many women told the inquiry that "doctors didn't tell them they were having mesh implanted," Senator Hinch said.
"Others were told, 'It's a walk in the park. You will be like a 16-year-old girl again'."
The Senate inquiry comes after hundreds of Australian women recounted how the devices left them in chronic, debilitating pain, unable to have sex and with recurring infections.
Many told the ABC they felt they had not been listened to by their doctors and were told the mesh could not be the reason for their ill health.
But with growing public outrage, in November 2017 health authorities banned controversial vaginal mesh implants for use in pelvic organ prolapse.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-28/pelvic-mesh-implants-only-used-as-last-resort-senate-report/9592384
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Surgical mesh advocacy group targets MPs, has Jacinda Ardern interested
Mar 28, 2018 | Stuff
By Cate Broughton
A group campaigning for better regulations on the use of surgical mesh has the prime minister interested in its cause.
Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter told Patricia Sullivan, a founder of Mesh Down Under, that Jacinda Ardern had taken a "keen interest" in the issue after a briefing a few days earlier.
Surgical mesh is used to treat pelvic organ prolapse, stress urinary incontinence and hernias. Complications in a minority of patients can include severe pain, mesh erosion, infection and nerve damage.
"[Ardern] has had words with the Ministry of Health because we don't feel they've delivered on their promises last year and it's about time that we got on with the work that was agreed to," Genter said.
Sullivan met Genter on the steps of Parliament on Tuesday to hand her a letter from the group asking the Government to take the issue of mesh complications seriously.
A report from an Australian Senate inquiry into the mesh launched in February 2017 was due to be released late on Tuesday. More than 500 submissions from individuals, health consumer organisations, surgeons and government agencies were considered. Senators heard harrowing accounts of the impact of severe adverse events from patients during hearings in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra.
Mesh Down Under says the New Zealand government has been too slow to act on the concerns of affected patients on this side of the Tasman Sea.
The group delivered letters to every MP in Parliament, along with a poster outlining promises from politicians, including Ardern, Minister of Health David Clark and Genter.
On March 17 the group appealed to Ardern in an open letter, asking her to "take charge" of the issue.
In a statement to Stuff on Tuesday Genter said delays on a cost-benefit analysis for a surgical mesh register and an updated informed consent brochure for patients were "highly frustrating".
"I am disappointed that the ministry has not previously met agreed upon timeframes and have communicated to the ministry the importance of this work for thousands of women who have surgical mesh implanted."
Sullivan said her life had been turned upside down since she had a Johnson & Johnson mesh device implanted during surgery to treat a pelvic organ prolapse, which had developed following a long labour, in 2008.
"The worst symptom was incredible nerve pain. I mean it was a pain you can't describe and is so severe you think 'I don't know if I can live with this pain'."
It took four years and consultations with six surgeons before being diagnosed with mesh erosion. Two surgeries to remove the mesh were partially successful.
"I still have mesh down the back of my sacrum. It couldn't be removed because vessels and nerves and tissue had grown around it."
Sullivan said she had to live with the remaining mesh and the pain it produced.
She has been devastated to see mesh injuries increase and little government action to increase patient safety.
The only indication of the mesh complication rate in New Zealand was ACC decided claims data and Mesh Down Under's membership numbers.
"The problem is because there has been no data collection, no registry, no research, nobody knows the true depth of the problem," Sullivan said.
The group had increased from 90 members in 2013 to more than 600 this year.
Recent ACC data showed 943 mesh related claims had been decided between 2005 and February 28, 2018.
"What we know is the issue is so severe we've got people wanting to take their own lives."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/102624250/surgical-mesh-advocacy-group-targets-mps-has-jacinda-ardern-interested
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OVER THE COUNTER: For women, understanding the body gets better with age
Mar 28, 2018 | Wicked Local
By Gary Kracoff and John Walczyk
It’s funny the double standard that exists when discussing aging, sex and what happens to reproductive organs when we get older. When it’s about men, talking about intimacy and middle age (and beyond) seems acceptable, but this is not always so when it comes to women.
Don’t believe us? Consider how many times you’ve heard celebrity or TV doctors talk about topics such as testosterone therapy and prostate problems and even erectile dysfunction. But when’s the last time you heard anyone on TV talk about pelvic floor prolapse or vulvodynia? Have you even heard the recent news about the controversy of vaginal mesh implants?
When it comes to women’s health, what you don’t know – and what you may not want to discuss with your physician – could hurt you.
When women have babies and age, their bodies go through many changes that can affect their reproductive organs and hormonal balance. Unfortunately, these changes can come with some painful, and sometimes embarrassing, symptoms. Fortunately, many of these symptoms can be prevented, managed and relieved through a combination of exercises, diet, quitting smoking, supplements and, in some cases, medical therapies.
Typically, the single most life-altering event a women can encounter is pregnancy and delivering a baby. In just nine months, the female body will go through dramatic, disruptive, and, we should say, quite wonderful changes that can last a lifetime.
Many of the conditions women find annoying during and right after pregnancy go away over time, such as swollen and tender breasts, weight gain and mood swings. But several won’t. Stretch marks may last and so will differences in breast shape. Most difficult will likely be problems with holding urine.
But many of these issues – and several others including hot flashes and dryness – will come eventually for women who don’t have kids, too, as their bodies age.
We have described below some common changes and conditions women can expect as they age, and potential remedies.
Pelvic floor disorders: These include spasms and prolapse, and can be quite disruptive. Pelvic floor problems typically happen after childbirth, menopause or following a hysterectomy. The condition occurs when the muscles and ligaments supporting pelvic organs become weakened and lower in the body, sometimes causing a sensation of pressure and a loss of bladder control.
Remedy: Start learning and performing pelvic floor exercises. Kegels are the most common exercise used to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that help keep the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum in place. For a simple guide, try the following: First pretend you have to urinate and then react as if you are trying to hold it. Relax and tighten, feeling the muscles you use to stop from going to the bathroom squeeze and lift. Try tightening for 10 seconds and relaxing, repeating several times a day. We should note that for people with pelvic floor spasms, Kegel exercises may not be recommended and special physical therapy to relax muscles may be more effective. Pelvic floor disorders can also be treated with a device called a weighted vaginal cone, which can also be effective for preventing or reducing incontinence. It may take a few months until you notice greater control of your bladder, so don’t get discouraged – and you will find this increased strength helps relieve some of the issues associated with this condition as well as vulvodynia and even dryness. Another option is muscle relaxant suppositories, which can offer a more targeted approach. They also have a reduced systemic absorption leading to a lower risk of sedation.
Vaginal dryness: While this may sound taboo to talk about, it’s completely natural and is typically due to a drop in the hormone estrogen, which can occur from, among other reasons, childbirth, breast-feeding, or having had menopause. Yet the condition is uncomfortable and makes sex painful.
Remedy: Stay active, use vitamin E vaginal suppositories and take orally omega-7, which is sea buckthorn. Also consider trying hyaluronic acid, vitamin A, or vitamin E cream.
Vulvodynia: This chronic and rarely talked about disorder can be as upsetting as it is painful. It causes the opening of the vagina to burn, hurt or feel irritated, especially when sitting or having sex.
Remedy: Unfortunately, this condition may require prescription medicines, such as muscle relaxant suppositories or creams, low-dose hormone gels, or estrogen therapy. Talk with your doctor about the best options, but anything that can be applied topically tends to have fewer side effects than drugs taken orally.
Hot flashes: These are often a topic of jokes about getting old, but there’s little funny about them. Hot flashes occur during menopause, and can cause warmth throughout the upper body, red or blotchy skin, sweating, and rapid heartbeat.
Remedy: For extreme hot flashes, estrogen therapy is effective, but there are ways to possibly lessen the symptoms. First, keep a healthy body weight. Also, avoid spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol, or any other foods or drinks that trigger hot flashes. Progesterone creams may also offer relief, as well as some herbal and natural remedies such as chasteberry and black cohosh.
Talk to your doctor about any of these conditions to find the best course of action for you. Remember that with a little effort, lifestyle changes and perhaps medication, you can take control of your own body.
http://hull.wickedlocal.com/entertainmentlife/20180327/over-counter-for-women-understanding-body-gets-better-with-age
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Pelvic mesh-injured women were in tears over delayed inquiry report release
Mar 27, 2018 | Newcastle Herald
By Joanne McCarthy
WOMEN were in tears on Tuesday night when a Federal Government move in the Senate stopped the tabling of a long-awaited report into pelvic mesh devices.
“Do they know what they’re doing to us? This report has been delayed a number of times. We were told it would be tabled this afternoon and then the government decides to vote on something else and we’re just left,” said mesh-injured woman Gai Thompson, who could not control the tears when told the report would not be tabled.
“The problem is they don’t care. The politicians don’t care because they really don’t know what it’s like for so many women. I’ve lost my house. My daughters have had to live with me like this for the last 11 years. This report was going to at least confirm that we’ve been taken seriously.”
Mesh inquiry chair Senator Rachel Siewert confirmed at 6.45pm that the report would not be tabled after Finance Minister Mathias Cormann successfully moved to suspend Senate business to allow voting on other matters including the government’s company tax proposals.
Senator Siewert apologised to women across Australia who had been watching the Senate debate to see the report tabled before reading it online.
“I’m really sorry but there was nothing we could do as the government had the numbers,” she said.
Consumer Health Forums of Australia spokesperson Melissa Fox said mesh-injured women and Australia’s state and territory-based health consumer organisations were keenly awaiting the inquiry recommendations.
“Thousands of Australian women who have endured debilitating mesh injuries are wanting assurance that their voices have been heard. We expect the Senate report to validate their experiences, as a first step toward justice and accountability,” Ms Fox said.
“The harm that has been done to women must be acknowledged as a failure of the regulatory, quality and safety mechanisms that exist to safeguard the general public. We hope the report recommends collection of accurate retrospective data so we know just how many women have been harmed.”
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/5310710/mesh-report-delayed-by-senate-move/
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