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Hysteropexy is a reasonable alternative to hysterectomy for women with pelvic organ prolapse
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The risk of treatment failure was 36% lower in hysteropexy patients
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However, both procedures offered long-lasting relief
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 (NewsDay News) – A clinical trial reports that women suffering from pelvic organ prolapse are better served by surgery to save their uterus than by having it removed.
Women were less likely to die if they underwent a hysteropexy, in which mesh implants hold the uterus in place, instead of a full hysterectomy, according to recently published results. JAMA Surgery.
The study found that after 10 years of follow-up, women who underwent hysteropexy had a 36% lower risk of treatment failure.
“Both procedures are reasonable options for patients,” concluded the research team he led Dr. Charles Nagerprofessor emeritus at the University of California-San Diego. “If available, hysteropexy with mesh augmentation is a minimally invasive and effective option for patients who desire uterine preservation.”
About 1 in 5 women will have surgery for pelvic organ prolapse in their lifetime, the researchers said in a background note.
The condition occurs when the pelvic floor — the muscles and tissues that hold the organs in place — weakens, says Harvard Medical School. As a result, women may experience uncomfortable pressure, pain, urinary problems, constipation or painful sex.
The researchers said it was not yet clear whether hysteropexy or hysterectomy was better for women.
“In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration concluded that there were insufficient data to prove that transvaginal mesh is superior to native tissue at three years, and subsequently removed vaginal mesh kits from the market in the US, although these mesh kits are still used worldwide,” the researchers wrote.
For this new study, researchers recruited 175 women with pelvic prolapse at nine clinical sites of the US Pelvic Floor Disorders Network, a federally funded research project. Of the women, 88 of them underwent cesarean section and 87 of them underwent cesarean section.
Only 40% of women in the hysteropexy group experienced treatment failure at 10 years of follow-up, compared with 53% of women who had a hysterectomy.
However, the researchers found that hysteropexy was no more stable than hysterectomy in subsequent years.
“Although the participants in the vaginal mesh hysteropexy group had a better initial composite outcome, the duration of waiting in the uterine tissue procedure was not observed between six and 10 years,” the researchers concluded.
“Both groups showed sustained improvement in patient-reported outcomes, with no significant differences between treatment arms,” the researchers wrote. “Similarly, both groups experienced improvements in sexual function and levels of pelvic pain remained the same.”
More information
Harvard Medical School has more information pelvic organ prolapse.
SOURCE: JAMA SurgeryJune 24, 2026
What does this mean for you?
Women with pelvic floor problems should discuss surgical options with their doctor.
