Vaginal mesh operations should be banned, says health watchdog NICE

Routine vaginal mesh operations should be banned, the UK's health watchdog has said.

Draft guidelines from NICE state the implants should only be used for research, and not for routine procedures.

In the documents - to be published after consultation in December - NICE said there were "serious but well-recognised safety concerns" surrounding vaginal mesh operations.

One expert said it is "highly likely" the NHS will take up the recommendations, though they are not compelled to act on NICE's findings.

Use of the implants to treat both organ prolapse and urinary incontinence has already been suspended in Scotland.

One woman, Helen McDonald, 65, told the Standard in October how she had been left in severe pain, fearing she "might end up in a wheelchair" as a result of the procedure.

Mrs McDonald was forced to quit her job as a support worker for disabled people because she struggled to stand or bend over.

And her marriage of 44 years came under intense strain because she is no longer able to have sexual intercourse with her husband.

"It has affected me mentally...it is horrendous."

In April, the BBC reported more than 800 women in the UK had taken legal action against the NHS and the makers of vaginal mesh implants.

A spokesman for NICE declined to comment.