Bayer HealthCare faces a new Essure lawsuit from a Tennessee couple alleging adverse reactions to Essure. The Essure lawsuit alleges the wife experienced serious adverse reactions to Essure soon after having the contraceptive implanted.

The couple alleges Bayer HealthCare failed to warn them and the general public against potential adverse reactions to Essure. Plaintiff couple Loice B. and Ricardo B. are jointly filing this Essure lawsuit, with Loice claiming she had no prior knowledge of the adverse reactions to Essure she suffered.

Loice says she opted for the Essure birth control device after reviewing Bayer’s marketing materials and discussing the decision with her physician. During all times relevant, Loice had only used the Essure for its intended purpose and did not deviate from physician instructions.

Loice says she had the Essure birth control device implanted on March 25, 2010, with a coil implanted into her right fallopian tube. She had to previously undergo surgery to have the left fallopian tube removed, and opted for the Essure birth control device after her physician stated it was a much less invasive option than a hysterectomy.

However, not long after receiving the birth control device, Loice reportedly experienced adverse reactions to Essure including vaginal pain, vaginal bleeding, excessive menstrual bleeding, itching, and allergic reaction to nickel.

These Essure birth control complications eventually forced Loice to undergo revision surgery on Dec. 15, 2016, for a corrective hysterectomy procedure.

Loice complained that even though she could avoid surgery by having the Essure birth control implanted, she ultimately had to in order to resolve the adverse reactions to Essure.

Overview of Essure Birth Control Complications

The Essure birth control device consists of two metal coils that are directly implanted into the fallopian tubes. Tissue eventually swells and grows around the coils. This ultimately prevents sperm-to-egg fertilization, and is supposed to present a quick and non-invasive alternative to tubal ligation.

The Essure birth control device quickly gained traction after its release into the market in the early 2000s because it was the only non-surgical method for female sterilization. Bayer HealthCare focused heavily on the convenience aspects of the device, pointing out minimally invasive procedures and much less recovery time.

However many women have alleged the company focused too heavily on the device’s benefits and did not adequately explain the adverse reactions to Essure. According to the FDA, there have been 16,047 Essure injury reports submitted as of May 30, 2013.

The Essure complications reported range in severity, from abdominal pain to ectopic pregnancy, with most of the side effects stemming from the device either failing or the patient reacting badly to the Essure coils.

It is important to note that some women have reported suffering allergic reactions due to nickel content in Essure coils.

Even though the adverse reactions to Essure can be devastating to patients, Bayer HealthCare allegedly failed to warn against them. Loice states that she never would have opted for the contraceptive if she had known about the potential adverse reactions to Essure.

This Essure Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-00189-TAV-CHS, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, in Chattanooga Division.