Bayer markets the Essure system as the most effective permanent type of birth control, even more effective than tying your tubes. The manufacturer says it is “hormone-free, surgery-free and there’s no slowing down to recover. You can get back to your family right away.” Essure has been FDA-approved and has been available in the U.S. for more than 10 years.
Critics say that making it so easy for women to carry out such major life decisions, especially in an age of ephemeral relationships, is of concern and that devices that can destroy a woman’s biological function, even if they confer permanent sexual freedom, are a step too far.
There are serious medical issues relating to the Essure implant. Many women report debilitating headaches, nausea, allergic response to the nickel from which the device is made, hysterectomies, colon perforation due to the device moving, scans that cannot even locate where the device has gone, and pregnancy, even after these women were told that they could not get pregnant. However, most of the women say they were not told of the serious side effects.
One woman said that two weeks after having the Essure procedure, she started getting her period twice a month and experiencing severe back pain so severe it would awaken her from a sound sleep. As time went on, she started to develop leg pain, numbness of hands and feet, sharp pains, fatigue, blood in her urine, and many more symptoms. She even had her gallbladder removed, thinking that was the cause of her pain but it didn’t make a difference. She underwent a colonoscopy, endoscopy, kidney scope, bladder scope, as well as other procedures. It wasn’t until she researched the side effects of Essure that she realized many other women were facing similar side effects. After finding a new doctor who would remove the Essure implant, exploratory surgery showed that one spring was almost all the way out and one was halfway out, so the Essure implant was then removed, in addition to removing endometriosis, a cyst, a tumor and repair to her bowels made. She finally felt relief and feels like a new person. She said that the Essure implant ruined 7 years of her life, as well as affecting the lives of her husband, children, parents and friends.
Another woman became pregnant six months after having the Essure implant placed. She has experienced constant pain in her lower back and severe pelvic pain. She regrets ever having this procedure.
A 28-year-old woman found out she was pregnant three years after having the Essure implant procedure. Two weeks after receiving the positive pregnancy test, the doctors told her she had miscarried and that the left coil was improperly placed. After investigating, she requested her medical records, which showed that a medical student had actually performed the placement of the Essure implant as her physician supervised. Once again, she became pregnant, again was told the left side was improperly placed, which is why she kept getting pregnant. She feels that if the supervising physician knew it was improperly placed, why wouldn’t it have been corrected rather then sending the patient home? And why would she have repeated pregnancies after undergoing a procedure for “permanent birth control?”
Another woman said that within two weeks of the Essure placement, she was admitted to the hospital where she was placed on 3 different intravenous antibiotics for 4 days, only to require a hysterectomy two weeks later. She claims that all of her female organs were severely damaged in the four weeks she had the Essure implant. She even believes that she could have died because of the softball-sized abscess caused from the Essure implant, which leaked infections into her abdomen. This was only discovered during surgery. If she hadn’t undergone surgery, it could have had a very different outcome.
What so many of these patients had in common is that the doctors did not believe the pain was from the Essure device and would not remove it. Many women say they were given prescriptions for anti-depressants and sent on their way.
It is a woman’s right to decide for herself if she wants a certain form of birth control, but how can an educated decision be made when all of the facts are not presented? Why are women not told about the possible devastating side effects?
If you or a loved one experienced adverse side effects resulting from the Essure device, contact one of our Gacovino Lake attorneys at 1-800-246-HURT (4878) for more information.
