Our obgyns perform outpatient surgery to place mid-urethral slings

Mid-urethral slings help women who suffer from the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Our Grapevine and Fort Worth obgyns have the expertise and knowledge to perform gynecological surgery for urinary incontinence. The mid-urethral sling is the most commonly used procedure to correct stress urinary incontinence.

Mid-urethral slings help reduce urine leakage

Mid-urethral slings help improve women’s stress urinary incontinence by supporting the urethra. Normally, the supporting pelvic floor muscles and ligaments for the urethra close when women cough, laugh, sneeze or strain, preventing leakage. However, when those muscles and ligaments are damaged or weakened, urine leakage occurs.

During surgery, our Grapevine and Fort Worth obgyns place the synthetic mesh in one of three ways to support the urethra. After reviewing the patient’s symptoms, our physicians position the mesh using a retropubic approach, a transobturator approach or an approach known as the single-incision mini sling. These approaches are tension-free, meaning there are not any stitches holding mid-urethral slings in place. Scar tissue that forms around the sling holds it in position.

There are several benefits of surgery using mid-urethral slings

Mid-urethral slings offer patients several benefits.

• This outpatient procedure can usually be performed in 30 minutes or less.
• Most women can go back to daily activities one week after surgery. They should avoid athletic activities, heavy exertion and heavy lifting for six weeks post-surgery.
• According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, there is a less than 5% risk of mesh erosion after the procedure.

As with any surgery, there are also risks of having mid-urethral slings placed during surgery, including mesh erosion, infection, bleeding and injury to the bladder or other pelvic organs.

Most women feel that mid-urethral slings helped improve or reduce their symptoms

In most cases, women are happy with the results when mid-urethral slings are surgically placed, especially when it is their first bladder surgery. Women who have had previous bladder surgery are more prone to problems. Women who want to become pregnant should not have mid-urethral slings. Instead, our Grapevine and Fort Worth obgyns suggest postponing surgery until the family is complete.

Urinary incontinence responds to nonsurgical treatment for incontinence as well as surgical treatment. Our Grapevine and Fort Worth obgyns have the skill and expertise to diagnose and treat women who are suffering from the problems caused by incontinence, so no woman should suffer in silence. Women who have symptoms such as urine leakage should contact us for an appointment to discuss their treatment options, including surgery using mid-urethral slings.