Irish courts set to hear first vaginal mesh compensation claims

Legal action has already been brought in the US, UK and Australia by women who blame the device, used to treat pelvic organ prolapse or stress incontinence after pregnancy, for causing headaches, lack of energy, discharge, bleeding and pain.

Solicitor Melanie Power, who is representing three women with complications, told TheJournal.ie that she had been contacted by around 25 people who have the implants and suffer pain.

Ms Power said: “It really is a case of people not knowing what is causing their problems and they are just putting up with it in a real Irish mammy way. They think this is what happens when you have a baby. And some people are just embarrassed to talk about it.”

Solicitor Liam Moloney, who has a number of clients affected by the issue, told TheJournal.ie that any woman having the procedure should be informed about all of the risks involved.

He said: “They should be told that it can migrate - in one in a thousand cases, it can cause perforation of the uterus.

“It doesn’t matter how remote the risk is, they have to advise the patient of any risks before they consent. If they haven’t the patient could take an action against the implanting doctor.”

Mr Moloney added: “I’m surprised there hasn’t been more of these cases. I suspect there are quite a substantial number of cases in Ireland where people haven’t linked the problems with the device.”

He also said the lack of legal aid for civil cases could be a “significant barrier to justice” for these women.