Nationals Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker is recommending all women impacted by transvaginal mesh surgery make a submission to the Senate Inquiry. 

The Senate Community Affairs References Committee is currently conducting an inquiry and report into the number of women in Australia who have had transvaginal mesh implants and related matters.

“We will wait for the outcome of the senate’s inquiry before taking any further action,” Mr Hartsuyker said. 

Transvaginal meshes are used to treat two main conditions affecting women. One is urinary incontinence and the other pelvic organ prolapse.

Prolapse is a common condition where the bladder, uterus or bowel protrude into the vagina.

The submissions for the inquiry close on May 31 and the findings will be reported on November 30. 

Joanne Boon is an administrator for the Australian Pelvic Mesh Support Group on Facebook along with five other women. 

When Ms Boon joined the group two years ago it had 39 members. It now has over 850. 

Ms Boon said many of the women have found solace in the group and a sense of relief they are ‘not going crazy’. 

Many of the adverse side effects from the mesh surgery include bleeding, painful intercourse, irritation and discharge, nerve damage, mesh erosion, allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases. 

Ms Boon is from Sydney and due to extreme complications after having mesh implants in 2012 she had it removed in the USA in November 2015.  

As a single mother of a 10-year-old Ms Boon had to sell her house and leave her job to fund the overseas operation. 

It took six and a half hours to remove Ms Boon’s sling and prolapse mesh. 

There is currently no surgeon in Australia who can completely remove prolapse mesh from women. About 12 women who are part of the Australian Pelvic Mesh Support Group have travelled overseas to have it removed. 

Ms Boon said Australian gynaecology professor at the University of Sydney Thierry Vancaillie travelled to the USA in April to learn how to completely remove mesh. 

She said he will return again in June to learn more from reknowed obstetrician-gynecologist Dionysios Veronikis at his clinic in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Prof Vancaillie has scheduled sling removal surgeries for July in Australia. In September Dr Veronikis will be in Australia to attend to the prolapse mesh removal cases.

The Australian Pelvic Mesh Support Group has launched a crowd funding campaign to raise funds to send women to Sydney for mesh removal surgery with internationally renowned removal surgeon Dr Dionysios Veronikis when he visits Australia in September.

If you would like to make a donation click here 

To make a submission for the Senate Inquiry visit www.aph.gov.au