I had the Essure procedure done several years ago because I was tired of taking birth control and I was in my 40’s and knew I would not have anymore children. I initially asked about a tubal but my doctor highly recommended Essure as a safe alternative with less down time and very little discomfort. He even told me if he would recommend it to his wife when the time came for that decision. I went in for my procedure and the pain was excruciating! It was less bearable than childbirth because I at least had pain killers with that. I almost passed out a couple of times from the pain and the nurse had to get cold rags to put on my face and neck. The doctor was very impatient with me and said if I didn’t go through with it that day, they would just have to bring me back and do it again. I decided to go through with the procedure because I could tell the doctor was mad because it was taking more time than he alloted for it and I didn’t want to go through that pain again. I immediately noticed that things were not right and went back to him. I felt like I was always ovulating and/or getting ready to have my period. I never had alot of cramping prior to the procedure so this was the first sign that things were not right. I also starting having erratic periods – 2 one month and then not another for several months. I talked to my doctor and he said the cramping was not uncommon and that the reason my periods were messed up was because I was over 40 and I was probably peri-menopausal. I told him that I knew my body and felt that something just wasn’t right. I told my husband I thought there was something seriously wrong with me. I complained enough that they even did a pelvic ultrasound. I seriously thought at that point that I was dying because I had never had problems, but they could find nothing wrong. I gained alot of weight for my 5’3″ frame and was constantly bloated and gassy. I still have cramping and bloating constantly – it’s either not as bad as it first was or I’ve just gotten used to it. Either way, if you are thinking of having the procedure, PLEASE DO NOT.