How is surgical mesh used to treat pelvic floor disorders?

Surgical mesh can be used to treat:

• Pelvic organ prolapse (POP). When the muscles and ligaments supporting your pelvic organs weaken, the pelvic organs can fall out of place and bulge down in the vagina (pelvic organ prolapse). To treat POP, surgical mesh can be implanted to reinforce the weakened vaginal wall. Surgery can be done through the abdomen using mesh or through the vagina without the use of mesh. Surgery through the vagina using mesh is no longer an option.
• Stress urinary incontinence (SUI). This is the unintentional loss of urine due to a physical movement or activity — such as coughing, sneezing, running or heavy lifting — that puts pressure (stress) on your bladder. Surgical mesh urethral slings can be implanted through the vagina to support the bladder neck or the tube that carries urine from your body (urethra). This is known as a midurethral sling or a mesh sling procedure.