I got Essure in 2011 when I was 33 years old because I was told I would not have any downtime, and no side effects like other forms of permanent birth control. I was extremely happy and very healthy – I was in great shape and was fully enjoying all aspects of my family and my life. And then, my life changed dramatically the day I had the procedure. I totally trusted my doctor when I walked me through what would happen in the procedure and what to expect.
From the day I went home from having the procedure, I felt different, and the symptoms only got worse over time, specifically:
- prolonged bleeding – 14 or more of menstruation per month (10 of them very very heavy)
- bleeding during sexual intercourse
- painful intercourse
- blood clots that are the size of baseballs or larger – so heavy that I go through large packages of maxi pads and my periods or way to heavy for any tampons to work. It makes it impossible for me to go into the office for work on those days! As a professional, that is completely life changing.
- complete lack of sexual desire – despite the fact that I love my husband and find him incredibly attractive!
- terrible migraines
- incredibly itchy rashes on my upper legs, chest and arms – multiple dermatologists, allergists and primary doctors could not diagnose any reasonable reason for the rash. It came on only weeks after having Essure – sometimes lasts for months and is so itchy that I rip myself raw.
- hair loss – so much so that my hair dresser says it is noticeable every time I see her
- depression and anxiety resulting from all of the above mentioned symptoms
- occasional sharp pains in my lower abdomen and lower back pain
- swollen abdomen – I have always been thin, but since Essure I have gained a few pounds in my abdomen
When I told my OB/GYN about the symptoms, specifically about the first five that I initially thought could be linked to Essure, he told me that they COULD NOT be related to Essure and that they were likely MENTAL! I am so frustrated, and feel lied to and angry that the FDA, Bayer, Conceptus will not concede that this product needs more warnings, and needs to acknowledge this issues that some women are facing with this product. Although not all women are having problems, those of us who are facing issues are having severe problems that need to be addressed and we need to be compensated appropriately for not having been appropriately warned. It is completely unfair that we have no recourse, no ability to sue.
It is crazy that Bayer found a backdoor way to get this product FDA approved as a life saving device (after all, it is a birth control method for goodness sake!) and therefore this protects them from legal action. It is also unacceptable to say that they did a 5 year follow up with their initial group of women in their pilot testing. If the FDA actually checked the records properly, they would have found out that Conceptus did not properly follow through with all the women in that group. There were many in that group having problems that went unrecorded. Statistics were skewed. The data is unsubstantiated and total junk. As is this product.
I would be more than happy to do any interview at any time if ever needed. Just reach out.
Nicole B
Los Angeles, CA