Possible complications of vaginal surgery
Generally, vaginal surgery is associated with fewer complications than when similar procedures are done by open surgery or laparoscopy. Apart from haemorrhage, specific intra-operative complications related to this route of surgery include damage to the bladder or rectum, structures which are close by.
After surgery, infection and bruising (haematoma) around the vagina are not uncommon but rarely serious. In the longer term, de novo bladder or bowel symptoms and painful sexual intercourse are recognised complications of repair operations. If surgery was done for prolapse, recurrent prolapse is a definite possibility, perhaps as a reflection of an intrinic weakness in the tissues supporting the vagina which led to the prolapse in the first place. Mesh erosion can develop if a synthetic mesh is used for the repair.