I had wanted a permanent form of birth control for a long time – I’ve never had any children. After taking birth control pills for over 15 years, I thought I had reached an age that I could finally realize that option.
I found a Doctor in my insurance plan that offered permanent birth control options. When I met with him, he recommended the Essure procedure because of its minimal cost and said it was less invasive = which meant a quicker recovery time. He also sent me home with a few websites to check out and a pamphlet singing Essure’s praises. I had never heard of Essure until that day. Of course, I checked out all the material that was furnished to me – little did I know what I was really getting myself into.
My procedure was done Feb/2013. I was put under general anesthesia. Upon waking, it felt like my abdominal cavity was on fire. For the next several weeks, this was the ‘gift’ I experienced every day. I went in for my follow-up test/scan at my 3 month mark to ensure the product had fully blocked my tubes. That procedure – where they inflate the cervix with what they call ‘a tiny amount of fluid’ while scanning your abdomen – was the most horrific and intense pain I have ever experienced in my life. It actually made me scream in pain after then injected in all of the necessary fluid to scan for the blocked tubes.
My periods became very irregular, which I had already expected. One does not stop taking birth control pills after 15 years and assume their period will be normal. The abdominal burning was replaced with acute stabbing pain. This new form of pain started around month 4/5. If I get up from a sitting position, walk, run, or move in any way that engages my core, stabbing pain radiates from my lower abdomen/ovary area. I am approaching my year mark, being it is January 2015. I am on my 3rd week of what I can call the heaviest period of my life. I am passing large pieces of tissue and the volume of blood is alarming. I have been averaging between 5 and 6 pads a day. Tampons are useless, even the high absorption types.
I learned about the dark side of Essure when I started googling my symptoms. Now I am horrified that I put this into my body. Certainly my doctor gave me a high level overview of possible risks of Essure; however he did not at all discuss the probability or severity of what could happen. Nor was I told of any other women having any complaints, or offered any resources that discussed the pros AND cons of the device.
I have a new doctor that I will be seeing with regard to my issues with Essure. I do not feel this device is a healthy option for my body and feel strongly it should be removed. In the back of my mind, it almost seems as if the thing is either A) being expelled or B) migrating inside of me. I guess some out of pocket follow up scans will shed some more light on this for me. Women, please beware. I am a 34 yr old Senior Manager, married with no children and without any prior health issues. I otherwise went into this nightmare a happy, healthy person. I cannot say the same thing for myself now.