A  painful condition called pseudotumor cerebri is leading to numerous lawsuits linked to the use of certain types of birth control.

The condition occurs when pressure increases inside the skull due to an increase of cerebrospinal fluid, which has been allegedly brought on in thousands of women by certain birth control products.

Cerebrospinal fluid is vital to the body, forming a cushion that protects the brain and spinal cord from harm. It is constantly produced by the brain, and is then reabsorbed into the bloodstream for other uses.

If this fluid is not filtered properly it can lead to severe headaches, confusion, blurry vision, and even optic nerve damage. While not fatal, doctors still encourage patients who exhibit these symptoms to check-in with their physicians.

Previously, PTC was not widely known to be associated with birth control products, which resulted in the thousands of women who suffered this side effect without realizing the possible connection.

Pseudotumor cerebri, also called idiopathic intracranial hypertension or benign intracranial hypertension, most commonly occurs in women between the ages of 20 and 25. Medical experts are unsure as to why this side effect may be occurring, but have noticed that birth control products containing the hormone levonorgestrel seems to be the most-commonly mentioned in injury reports.

Levonorgestrel is the primary hormone that is released from the Mirena IUD, which prevent ovulation and sperm-to-egg fertilization. Therefore, some experts theorize that a possible side effect of levonorgestrel may be increasing the production of cerebrospinal fluid, to which the body’s natural abosrption process cannot keep up.

Birth control products that have repeatedly caused this injury include:

• Yaz
• Yasmin
• Ocella
• Beyaz
• Implanon
• Nexplanon
• NuvaRing
• Ortho Evra
• Depo Provera
• Paragaurd

According to patients, the side effects seem to worsen with strenuous activity like exercise, especially when the muscles and stomach are tightened.

There are several treatment options available for patients, such as a lumbar puncture, which relieves the pressure build-up in the brain and could prevent vision problems. Another option is undergoing a shunting procedure, which is also meant to relieve pressure from the overflowing cerbrospinal fluid amount.

If caught early enough, doctors can prescribe certain medications to help relieve the symptoms. Other less invasive methods can also include fluid or salt restriction and weight loss.

On the other hand, if PTC is diagnosed in a later stage, the results could be more severe, including blindness.

According to medical experts, most patients do not suffer any long-lasting effects after PTC is treated, but if any vision loss has occurred it most likely is permanent. Some women who suffered from pseudotumor cerebri have chosen to file legal action against the pharmaceutical companies responsible for manufacturing the birth control products.