It saddens me terribly to see/hear that others have experienced negative effects from the essure. My negative experience is pale in comparison to some of the horrible stories I’ve recently heard about, however I’ll share my experience in hopes that it can help educate those who are considering a permanent birth control option.
My essure procedure was performed in 2009. When I began the conversation with my doctor, the essure was the only real option I was given. She told me that it was an amazing new procedure that was much better than anything in comparison. We discussed birth control for several months and at each visit, she raved about the new essure option. I trusted my doctor and thought very highly of her, so I followed her recommendation. Shortly after, I began experiencing horrible back pain. On 2 separate occasions, I asked her about the essure potentially being the cause of my new unexplained back pain. On both occasions she told me there was no way that the 2 could be related. She once again told me that the essure would one day be the norm and there was no way it could cause my back pain. Six month later, for the first time in my life I began to suffer from horrible anxiety and began treatment for panic disorder. I had never experienced a panic attack before in my life prior to this. I also began gaining weight. Within 4 years of the procedure I gained 40 pounds.
Now, it would be impossible for me to prove that the essure is the culprit for my back pain, anxiety and weight gain. My complaints to my doctor were dismissed so much that I just assumed that I was simply being paranoid. Since then, I have tried chiropractic care on and off for my back pain which I still suffer from, and anti-anxiety meds that I take daily. While I can’t be 100% confident that these symptoms were caused by the procedure, I can’t help but wonder when I see other women who are dealing with the same side effects. I will continue to steer anyone I know away from the essure. For all I know, my coils could’ve floated to my big toe by now!! Please do your research. Again, my symptoms are mild compared to many others, but if I could go back in time, I never would have had that procedure.