Essure Procedure

My name is Jacquelyn Edden and I am writing to you in hopes to share my story about a permanent birth control called Essure. I am 28 years old and a mother of 4. In July 2013 I gave birth to fourth child and I was set on becoming sterilized. I now had two boys and two girls, my family was complete.

I mentioned this to my ob/gyn doctor a couple months before delivery that I wanted to become sterilized. My doctor suggested to me Essure. Which I did not know to much about, just that my mother had it done several years earlier. I was informed this would be the only route available to me because I had mesh by my belly button where they usually would make an incision to perform tubal ligation . After finding out there was no down time and it was a quick procedure I decided it would work with a newborn baby.

Here is how Essure works. Its been around since 2002 when it was approved by the FDA. Essure is a permanent birth control for Women. Essure is two metal and fiber coils that are placed in the fallopian tubes vaginally and requires no incision. After three months of insertion scar tissues forms over the coils causing blockage from sperm by not being able to reach the egg. For the first 3 months you also have to be on a second contraceptive until you have an HSG test done which confirms blockage is complete.

I had Essure placed Aug. 2013, in hopes I made the best decision for myself and family. To my surprise I made one of the worst decisions of my life. I knew something just wasn’t right after having it done because I was having really bad cramps, passing blood clots, but I figured it had to be normal because the doctor told me it would happen for a day or two. Well the cramps lasted a whole week. I was at work hunched over in pain. It was unreal. I called the doctor and told them I was bleeding and having cramps and I was told its normal but they would switch my birth control pill.

Here I was, barley had Essure for a couple months but regret it from all the pain I was enduring. I started having tingling and burning in my shoulder blades. Periods with really bad cramps and blood clots. Headaches and back pain that has me crying myself to sleep. I feel so weak by evening time I’m nauseated from the pain I don’t even eat dinner, I fall asleep on the couch just to have enough energy to make it up the stairs to bed. Having to work has really taken a toll on my body I feel like I am fighting myself to survive.

In December of 2013 I had the HSG test done to confirm my fallopian tubes were blocked. To my findings I found out there was a lot more to it. My doctor had called me with the bad news of what they had found. My right fallopian tube was blocked just like it should be however my left tube was not good. My left tube had been perforated by the coil, the coil went in my fallopian tube, out the side and was now imbedded in my uterus. Perforation symptoms does include burning and tingling so that would explain the horrible pain I was feeling in my shoulder blades all day long.

So…I started doing some research online to see if anyone else was dealing with these types of problems and came across the facebook group called Essure Problems. I was able to join the group and to find out there were 5,000+ women suffering from side effects from Essure. I read many stories of ladies being in pain daily and I could relate to exactly how they feel. Its almost like being alive but feeling like you are dying inside because you have no quality of life due to the fact your in chronic pain. I found that 600 surgeries were performed to remove Essure and already 60 have been scheduled for January 2014.

My doctor then discussed the way to fix this and the only main suggestion that would be most effective would to do a hysterectomy and leave my ovaries. I’m devastated why at the age of 28 I have to make this decision when all I wanted to do was be a responsible adult and become sterilized. Instead I have encountered months of pain and depression all because of Essure. I am one of the 60 scheduled for surgery. On January 27, 2014 at the young age of 28 I had a hysterectomy due to Essure. I have shared with everyone I know about Essure and how awful it is. I just want to educate women out there and hope that they don’t make the decision to have Essure done.

I am four days post op surgery and doctor showed me where the coil was embedded on the left side on top of the uterus wall. It had never went into the fallopian tube. All my symptoms are gone, no burning and tingling between shoulder blades, no more fatigue, no more cramps to the point I’m hunched over in pain, no more back pain, no more weight gain ( I’m actually down 8 lbs) , no more bloating, no more feeling like I’m poisoned or dying inside, and no longer depressed. I know Essure was the cause for this pain I encountered.

Eventhough I am sore from surgery I’m slowly gaining my life back and Essure free. Please do not be a victim to this Permanent Birth control it has ruind 7 months of my life that I will never get back! Thanks for reading!