Essure Birth Control Lawsuit

Active Mass Tort Lawsuits

Many women have jumped at the chance to have a permanent birth control device implanted over the past several years. Unfortunately, this seemingly amazing product, Essure, has several bad side effects and causes serious health problems. If you elected to have the Essure device implanted and are experiencing or have been diagnosed with problems caused by the device you may be eligible for compensation through an Essure lawsuit.

What is Essure?

Essentially the Essure birth control device, produced by Bayer consists of two metal spring-shaped coils that are surgically implanted in the fallopian tubes. The purpose of these coils is to block the eggs from entering the womb to be fertilized after sufficient inflammation and scar tissue grow to block the tubes. While this is advertised as a permanent birth control option, it is not as infallible as actual sterilization and the side effects are showing that it is not an advisable option for many women.

Essure Birth Control Lawsuit

The Essure implant is supposed to be a minimally invasive procedure that has no effect on a woman’s body other than not allowing eggs to be fertilized. Many assume that it is similar to tubal ligation, fallopian clamps or “tying the tubes”. In fact, this device is very disruptive to a woman’s body and can lead to many stressful, painful and debilitating symptoms and side effects. While there are no hormonal aspects to the Essure birth control implant, it allegedly causes severe disruption of the balance of the female body.

Essure Problems

The problems reported with these coils include allergic reaction, severe scar tissue leading to pain and cramping, device migration and even perforation of the fallopian tube or uterus. To date the Essure device has been linked to more than 5,000 reports of severe injuries including unintended pregnancy. How disappointing that a supposed permanent sterilization device allows women to get pregnant.

A more detailed list of the alleged side effects of the Essure device was included in a Safety Review published by the FDA in September 2015. These include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Heavier menses/menstrual irregularities
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Weight gain or loss
  • Patient device incompatibility (to include nickel allergy)
  • Device or device component migration
  • Device operating differently than expected
  • Device breakage
  • Malposition of the device

Each and every one of these problems is an issue that was discovered after the Essure was already being widely used. Bayer did not warn women of these dangerous and possibly life-threatening possibilities. Alleged misrepresentation of the product and serious complications are the main reason that there are now many class action and individual Essure lawsuit filings concerning the complaints, damages and side effects.

How Dangerous Can It Be?

While you may not think of something as simple as a metal coil in your fallopian tube to be dangerous; after all IUDs have been used safely for many decades, and there has been at least one reported death linked to Essure. In September of 2013, a woman who had received the implant earlier the same year went to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain. When she was examined it was determined that her cervix, fallopian tubes and uterus were necrotic. The woman developed an infection and her kidneys failed ending ultimately with her death of Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.

Many women have chalked up the pain and other side effects as being part of what they expect from this sort of device. Everything from birth control pills to spermicidal foams can cause irritation, allergic reactions, menstrual changes and some adverse side effects. But because the makers of Essure did not warn patients or doctors of these possibilities there are many serious problems that get overlooked in patients with Essure coils implanted.

Only in the past few years have the serious side effects of Essure come to light in the form of complaints by patients and physicians leading to Essure lawsuit allegations. Political representatives are even taking a stand against this birth control option. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania introduced legislation in October 2015 to revoke FDA approval for Essure. Another representative, Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut says “Essure’s benefits do not outweigh its risks and it should be withdrawn from the market.”

While there is much up in the air on the subject of Essure and the FDA, one thing is certain for women who have the Essure implant, don’t take any Essure side effects lightly. Visit your doctor and then contact a lawyer. You don’t have to suffer silently, you can join thousands of women who are fighting for compensation against Bayer.

In October of 2015, a study was published calling out Bayer, the makers of Essure, claiming that using this device leads to a 10-fold increased risk of needing some sort of follow-up surgery. Many women have had to have full hysterectomies, others had to have the device removed surgically while still others had to have lifesaving surgeries due to ectopic pregnancies and pregnancy complications.

Complications or side effects from any birth control option are not uncommon, but the reason Essure is coming under fire so heavily is because of allegations Bayer did not warn women of the dangers before making this device available and the side effects are far worse and more common than other birth control. If you have experienced the side effects and damage caused by Essure, contact legal counsel right away. You may be eligible for either a class action or individual Essure lawsuit that will compensate you for your pain and suffering.