A Pennsylvania woman has filed a Mirena lawsuit against the makers of the IUD alleging that she suffered from serious side effects which necessitated its removal.

Plaintiff Kathleen F. had the Mirena intrauterine device implanted in her in March 2013. The Mirena IUD is a small device shaped like a “T” that is placed into the uterus to release a low level of a hormone that prevents pregnancy.

Levonorgestrel is released over time and has been considered to be 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy for up to 5 years. It is suggested that the device be replaced after that time.

Intrauterine devices are one of the most popular forms of birth control in the world, and it is estimated that 150 million women worldwide use an IUD. Mirena’s popularity has only grown as well. Two million patients in the United States alone currently use Mirena for birth control.

According to her Mirena lawsuit, Kathleen began experiencing severe side effects from her Mirena IUD not too long after she was implanted with the device. She says she began experiencing “diminished night vision, diminished peripheral vision, blurry vision, severe headaches, weight gain, short term memory loss, tinnitus, dizziness, tingling, nausea, fatigue, depression, and pain in the neck and shoulders.”

According to her Mirena lawsuit, a little over a year after Kathleen had the device implanted, her physician removed the Mirena IUD. In July 2015, Kathleen was diagnosed with psuedotumor cerebri, which she believes is as a direct result of Mirena.

Another name for pseudotmor cerebri is idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a condition that mimics the symptoms of a tumor in the brain.

Pseudotumor cerebri increases pressure in the skull because of a rise in cerebrospinal fluid. Researchers believe that this fluid cannot be reabsorbed back into the bloodstream, so it builds up in the brain. In a healthy individual, this cerebrospinal fluid is constantly being produced and constantly reabsorbed back into the body.

It is thought that the hormones in certain types of birth control including Mirena interfere with this process. The result is increased pressure in the brain which can present similar to a brain tumor. It is not a brain tumor, but symptoms may lead patients and doctors to believe otherwise.

There are many concerning symptoms associated with pseudotumor cerebri including headaches or migraines that originate behind the eyes, a whooshing sound in the ears, dizziness or nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness or back pain, forgetfulness, and difficulty with walking.

Pseudotumor cerebri symptoms may also include interference with vision including blurred or double vision, blind spots, vision loss, difficulty seeing to the side or seeing flashes of light.

Kathleen states in this Mirena lawsuit that she has been permanently injured and has incurred and will continue to incur lost wages, past and future medical expenses and past and future pain and suffering.

She believes that the drug makers were negligent, that they failed to test the drug properly and that Mirena is, by nature, dangerous and defective.

This Mirena Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-04654-UA in the Unites States District Court for the Southern District of New York.