Essure is the one decision in my life that I regret. I regret that I did not do any research about it other than the Essure website and the pamphlet my GYN gave me. That is a mistake I have NEVER made since.
Here’s my timeline:
Dec 5, 2008: Ultrasound that found uterine fibroids (cause of heavy bleeding). My birth control at that time was the Paragard IUD. No problems for 8 years.
Jan 22, 2009: Cryoablation (removed IUD at that time for the procedure)
March 3, 2009: Depo shot (sent me into the WORST depression I have EVER experienced. Glad it only lasted 3 months!)
April 9, 2009: Essure insertion
July 14, 2009: first HSG revealed the left tube was leaking and it could not be determined exactly where the right coil was
August 18, 2009: second HSG, GYN was present for the procedure, results were same as first HSG
Experiencing lots of abdominal pain
August 28, 2009: abdominal ultrasound done
Sept 3, 2009: IUD inserted (as Essure wasn’t working, hormones are not my friend and condoms are not something married, monogamous spouses should have to use as birth control!)
September 10, 2009: CT scan
October 2009 was spent with a GI for continued abdominal pain. Gall bladder scan/testing was done also. A source/cause of the pain was never found with any of the scans, tests, etc. done over the next 5 years. All results always came back normal.
Jan 27, 2010: Endoscopy
I finally gave up. Maybe the pain was in my head. I tried to ignore it. It didn’t go away. As long as I could breathe and eat and exercise and had no symptoms to put me into ER, I just ignored the abdominal pain.
Fall of 2010 I started having muscle aches and pains, weakness, heaviness in shoulders and upper back, extreme fatigue, and joint pain. I was a healthy, active woman! Now I couldn’t even push a vacuum or lift a gallon of milk? What was going on?
March and April 2011: saw a Rheumatologist
April 2011: more GI visits with a colonoscopy that revealed internal hemmorhoids. I felt like my entire body was inflamed for some reason
Oct 2011: Rheumy follow up. Aside from a slighly elevated ANA (which apparently 10% of the general population have), my blood revealed that I was healthy as can be! My body told me otherwise. Treating me for Sjögren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease. Started meds for that.
August 23, 2012: GI visit again for abdominal pain, out of control reflux? Although no antacid meds ever helped and no signs of reflux were ever found
August 27, 2012: Endoscopy (revealed nothing unhealthy)
March 2014 started feeling crampy when shouldn’t be. Went to GYN where they found my IUD had slipped out of place.
March 24, 2014: IUD removed
I said hey, it’s been 5 years, maybe the Essure is working now
March 27, 2014: third and final HSG revealed the left coil still not working and the right coil is embedded in the uterine wall. So much for effective Essure.
April 16, 2014: met with GYN to discuss the last 5 years. He was very compassionate and said while he’d never heard of such symptoms being related to Essure, the fact that I had been without those symptoms before insertion could not be disputed. He offered to do a hysterectomy.
May 22, 2014: I had a single port Da Vinci vaginal hysterectomy. Still awaiting the pathology. Gratefully, both coils were removed intact. I lost my fallopian tubes, my right ovary, my uterus, and my cervix. Dr did find (surprisingly) some Endometriosis. I am only 41. Grateful that I still have one ovary.
If I had simply chosen the Paragard or even the tubal ligation I would not have had all the problems I have had. It’s a hard price to pay for an unresearched decision on my part. I would LOVE to see Essure removed from the market. Unfortunetly all birth control comes with risks. I wish I’d gone with what was tried and true for me; the Paragard, or the tried and true tubal.