South Carolina resident Shaterica Yates is pursuing a civil action lawsuit against Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., alleging she experienced serious and painful complications from the Bayer contraceptive product, Mirena IUD.

Yates, 29, alleges in the birth control lawsuit that she had the Mirena IUD inserted by a physician on Aug. 18, 2009. Yates did not suffer any immediate side effects from Mirena, but it was discovered on Dec. 16, 2010, that the IUD had migrated from the implanted site in Yates’ uterus, causing her extreme abdominal pain and bleeding. The following day, Yates had to undergo hysteroscopic surgery to remove the Mirena IUD that had perforated her uterus.

As a result of these Mirena IUD complications, Yates has suffered,“serious and life-threatening side effects and injuries including, but not limited to extreme lower torso pain and related sequelae requiring hospitalization, extensive medical therapy, continuing treatment, physical therapy and medical monitoring,” the Mirena lawsuit says. These injuries have not just caused Yates physical and emotional pain, but have also diminished her ability to enjoy life, she claims.

Yates has charged Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals with negligence, strict product liability, breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, and has also requested punitive damages against the pharmaceutical company. She is seeking compensation for past and future damages, payment of medical and legal fees, and equitable relief for pain and suffering (both physical and emotional) experienced as a result of the damages left by Mirena IUD.

Overview of Mirena IUD

The Mirena IUD received FDA approval in December 2000 as an effective and safe long-term contraceptive device. Almost 15 years after its approval, more than 15 million women world-wide have been implanted with the IUD.

The Mirena IUD is a t-shaped, plastic device that releases increments of a synthetic progestin named leveonorgestrel into the bloodstream. According to Bayer’s marketing and product packaging, the leveonorgestrel hormone contained in Mirena is meant to “thicken cervical mucus, thin the uterine lining, inhibit sperm movement and reduce sperm survival to prevent pregnancy.”

Bayer has designed the Mirena IUD to be inserted into the uterus within seven days of menstruation and can remain in the uterus up to five years after the initial implantation. Because the Mirena IUD is a low maintenance form of long-term birth control, it is an appealing option to most consumers, especially women who have already had children.

Mirena IUD Side Effects

According to hundreds of Mirena IUD lawsuits and news report, Bayer did not alter their product packaging even after a number of reports documented many incidences of “embedment of and perforation through the uterine lining and/or migration of the IUD through the uterine lining after the period of insertion.”

Despite these reports and additional FDA warnings, Bayer has continued to manufacture, advertise, and sell the Mirena IUD.

Some FDA reported side effects of Mirena and risks related with Mirena IUD usage include:

• Weight gain
• Acne
• Breast Pain/Tenderness
• Inter Alia
• Perforation
• Migration
• Ectopic/Intrauterine pregnancy
• Cancer
• Adhesions
• Cysts
• Fetal Injury/Death
• Early/Premature Menopause