After giving birth to my daughter in 2006, we felt as if our family was complete. We had one son and one daughter, and my GI doctor was shocked when I told him I had my second child. I had been diagnosed with Crohn’s two years prior, so he was concerned about my immune system as a whole. My gynocologist had semi-retired, so I was seeing his partner (at the time) for my regular visit in 2008, when she recommended this new procedure called Essure. The fact that it was a short, easy recovery, and no hospital stay seemed to be exactly what I wanted.
The procedure was done in her office with minimal issues (there was an issue with spasms, but they were finally able to get the implant done). That weekend, I was able to resume my normal activities, and three months later, I went for the confirmation test, and everything was blocked.
Fast forward over the next several years, and I began experiencing symptoms such as depression, migraines, significant weight gain, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats (and inability to sleep through the night), and abdominal pain, primarily on the left side. I recently went to my regular gynocologist (who is no longer retired), and he told me that I was displaying signs of menopause. No blood work was done, but he prescribed a hormone replacement regimen. My family has a history of ovarian cysts (and cancer) so he also did an ultrasound. Once I got home, I began researching the issues on my own, and came across this group of women who all had such similar issues as mine … and we had one commonality – Essure.
I am currently working to obtain my medical records and have an x-ray done to determine the location/condition of the coils that were implanted in 2008, and based on my the family history, I am hopeful that he will discuss hysterectomy.