I now wish that I would’ve asked more questions and done an extensive amount of research before moving forward with the Essure procedure. The thought of birth control harming my life never crossed my mind. While pregnant with my first child, I knew that I didn’t want to have more children. I remember being in my doctor’s office and seeing an Essure brochure. I read the brochure and it all sounded simple and painless. All of my focus went to the words “permanent birth control” and “non-surgical procedure.” Thinking back to that day and the conversation with my doctor, she was more concerned with my level of certainty around having more children than the procedure itself. She explained that it was a simple procedure and that she’ll perform it in her office. She’ll place two inserts into each of my fallopian tubes and anesthesia would not be required. I asked her if the procedure was painful and she responded that it shouldn’t be too bad. I thought to myself “Great!” She went on to explain the process with the confirmation test. That was pretty much the extent of the conversation. We never discussed any long term risks or the possibility of her incorrectly placing the inserts. We never discussed the nickel-titanium alloy material. We never discussed the possibility of an allergic reaction to the material. Of course, I was not educated enough to ask the right questions.
I had the Essure procedure done November 25, 2014 (almost nine months after delivering my first born). The procedure was awful. My doctor flat out lied to me when she explained that it shouldn’t be too bad. The procedure itself, with no anesthesia, was worse than labor. My doctor struggled placing the left insert so the entire procedure took longer than expected. When we were finally done, I remember having a hard time unfolding my fists (that’s how tight I squeezed them). I rested for a while and then I went home and life continued.
Contrary to the normal pregnancy, rather than gain weight, I lost 18 pounds during my pregnancy. Since the Essure procedure, I have gained a significant amount of weight. I am now the heaviest that I’ve ever been in my life. This was the first obvious symptom. However, prior to reading Essure testimonies, I never associated the weight gain to the Essure procedure.
I had a confirmation test on February 9, 2015 and the results showed that one side is perfectly placed but the other is not. The results were loaded to my account at the hospital so I was able to read them. The results were sent to my doctor’s office but she never contacted me to discuss. We finally met April 27, 2015 and she made it seem like the results were bogus. She stated that she had never seen such incomplete results so she recommended a second confirmation test. At this point, I was still clueless to everything so I went along with her plan. The second confirmation test was scheduled July 28, 2015 and the test results were the same. I discussed the test results with my doctor on September 28, 2015 and she didn’t express any concern for me. Again, she suggested that we repeat the confirmation test and asked that I go to a different location to get it done (the two confirmation tests were performed at the same hospital but by two different doctors). I said OK, but when I got home I began to research the procedure and most importantly the long term risks.
I did a simple Google search and I cannot believe everything that I’ve read from the testimonies, the civil lawsuits against the manufacturer, the petition on Erin’s website, etc. It’s horrible! At this point I don’t know what to do … maybe remove the inserts completely? What will happen to me if the one insert that’s already misplaced, completely moves out of place? I’m only 36 years old, I should not be considering a hysterectomy!
In addition to the concerns from educating myself online, I am experiencing lower back pains and pelvic pains that come and go. I can’t help but to associate the pain to the Essure procedure. It’s been seven months since I last spoke to my doctor. What’s worse, is that I have been calling my doctor’s office for weeks now and haven’t received a response. I decided to drive by the office this week and learned that the office is closed … permanently closed. I feel stuck and I can’t believe that this entire experience is OK! This is not OK!
I wouldn’t wish the Essure procedure on my worst enemy.