How fast you recover depends on the specific procedure. Open retropubic suspension surgery is done under general anesthesia, and requires a hospital stay. The surgery itself takes about one hour, but discomfort can last 6-8 weeks. Some sling procedures may be done under local anesthesia in an outpatient clinic. In general, recovery times are longer for procedures done through the abdomen, and shorter for those done through the vagina or via laparoscopic incisions.