A recent Mirena IUD hypertension lawsuit filed by a young Colorado woman has recently joined the large Mirena multidistrict litigation, or MDL.

Plaintiff Kimmi V. from Colorado is only thirty-nine years old. When she went to her physician to inquire about birth control, she learned about the Mirena intrauterine device, or IUD.

Kimmi claims that she received Mirena’s Patient Information Booklet when she was implanted with the Mirena IUD in November 2013. She claims that the device was implanted without any complications.

According to this Mirena IUD hypertension lawsuit, Kimmi alleges that both she and her doctors relied heavily on the information included in the Patient Information Booklet to determine the efficacy and safety of the device.

After Kimmi had her Mirena IUD implanted, she says she began experiencing serious side effects. These side effects, she claims, have permanently injured her and have negatively affected her life.

Her Mirena IUD hypertension lawsuit claims that she began “experiencing headaches, with associated neck, back and shoulder pain, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, as well as vision problems including blurriness.”

A few months after she received her Mirena IUD, she had it removed and replaced with a different Mirena IUD.

Close to three years after she was originally implanted with the Mirena IUD, she still exhibited symptoms of headaches, tinnitus and vision problems. Kimmi then was diagnosed with papilledema, according to this Mirena IUD hypertension lawsuit.

Papilledema is the swelling of the optic nerve, and it can cause symptoms like Kimmi was experiencing.

Kimmi sought treatment from a neurologist, her Mirena IUD lawsuit claims, and she was diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) and migraines with aura. Additionally, Kimmi had a diagnostic lumbar puncture to confirm her diagnosis and PTC with intracranial hypertension was confirmed.

In 2016, Kimmi was forced to undergo a spinal tap and MRI, was prescribed Diamox for her migraines and finally, in April 2017, Kimmi had the Mirena IUD removed.

Her Mirena IUD lawsuit alleges that she has been “permanently injured and has incurred or will incur past and future medical expenses, has experienced or will experience past and future pain and suffering, has incurred or will incur lost wages, and is subject to an increased risk of future harm.”

What is Pseudotumor Cerebri?

The Mirena intrauterine device is a long-term t-shaped contraceptive device that is inserted into the uterus by a physician. For up to five years, the device releases levonorgestrel, a hormone that prevents pregnancy.

However, many women have begun to experience symptoms similar to Kimmi’s and many have found it necessary to file a Mirena IUD hypertension and PTC lawsuit.

In women who use Mirena, a connection between levonorgestrel use and elevated levels of cerebrospinal fluid has been found. Reportedly, Mirena users have difficulty reabsorbing fluid back into the body. This can be the catalyst of added pressure in the brain that can mimic symptoms of a tumor.

Women who experience this often report symptoms similar to Kimmi’s including Mirena IUD hypertension.

This lawsuit brings forth claims of negligence, design defect, failure to warn, strict liability, breach of implied warranty, breach of express warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation and fraud by suppression and concealment.

This Mirena IUD Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-05680-UA, and it joins MDL no. 2767, In re: Mirena IUS Levonorgestrel Related Products Liability Litigation, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.