SynthesisBMJ open2024
Pain and other complications of pelvic mesh: a systematic review of qualitative studies and thematic synthesis of women's accounts.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- An exploration of sexual and relational impacts of transvaginal mesh injury: a systematic review using thematic synthesis.BMC women's health · 2026Pooled it
- Humanising Government Inquiry: A Realist Examination of a Restorative Approach to Surgical Mesh Harm in Aotearoa New Zealand.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- From implant to explant: urinary morbidity in women undergoing mesh removal.World journal of urology · 2026Article
- A Retrospective Cohort Study Investigating the Clinical Care Pathway for Patients at a Pelvic Mesh Complications Clinic in a Western Australian Tertiary Hospital.The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology · 2026Article
- Concerns and Goals of Women with Isolated Mesh-Associated Pain Syndrome Accessing a Quaternary Mesh Referral Service: A Thematic Analysis.International urogynecology journal · 2026Article
- Article
- Phenotyping of isolated mesh associated pain secondary to continence mesh device insertion.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A qualitative study to inform the development of a new quality of life measure for surgery for prolapse, incontinence and mesh complications.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesSynthesis of the experience of women with pain from pelvic or vaginal mesh or its removal, to identify pain-related problems and to formulate psychological aspects of pain.
designSystematic review and thematic analysis of qualitative studies of pain from pelvic or vaginal mesh, or mesh removal, in women over 18 years, using individual interviews, focus groups, free text, or written or oral contributions to formal enquiries. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase and PsycINFO, from inception to 26 April 2023. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Qualitative studies of pain and other symptoms from pelvic or vaginal mesh or its removal; adults; no language restriction. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Line-by-line coding of participant quotations and study author statements by one author to provide codes that were applied to half the studies by another author and differences resolved by discussion. Codes were grouped into subthemes and themes by both authors, then scrutinised and discussed by a focus group of mesh-injured women for omissions, emphasis and coherence. Studies were appraised using an amalgamation of the CASP and COREQ tools.
results2292 search results produced 9 eligible studies, with 7-752 participants, a total of around 2000. Four recruited patients, four totally or partially from mesh advocacy groups, and two were national enquiries (UK and Australia). Four major themes were as follows: broken body, broken mind; distrust of doctors and the medical industry; broken life and keeping going-a changed future. Psychological content mainly concerned the loss of trust in medical care, leaving women unsupported in facing an uncertain future. Mesh-injured women strongly endorsed the findings.
conclusionsPain and other problems associated with pelvic mesh are profound and far-reaching for women affected. Worse, they feel subject to continued gaslighting, including denial of their mesh-related problems and dismissal of their concerns about continued mesh insertion. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022330527.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.