A woman has filed a lawsuit against Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals after she suffered Mirena birth control side effects.

Mirena is an intrauterine device (IUD) shaped like a “T” that is placed in the uterus as a birth control method. A synthetic progestin hormone called levonogestrel (LNG) is released by Mirena for up to five years after implantation.

Plaintiff Heather H. says she received her first Mirena implant in May 2010. Shortly after receiving the implant, she reported experiencing Mirena birth control side effects including severe headaches, blurry vision, increased eye pressure, vision loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

According to her complaint, Heather was diagnosed with PTC/IIH, short for pseudotumor cerebri/idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

She had the Mirena implant removed in 2015, but she alleges she has been permanently injured, has suffered and will continue to suffer past and future pain, medical expenses, and an increased risk of future problems.

PTC/IIH Among Mirena Birth Control Side Effects

According to Heather’s lawsuit, Bayer knew or should have known that the synthetic hormone levonorgestrel causes the development of PTC/IIH, a severe and potentially irreversible brain condition.

The Mirena IUD and certain birth control pills have been linked to cases of PTC/IIH. The cause is unknown, but many doctors believe Mirena interferes with the body’s normal absorption of cerebrospinal fluid back into the blood stream.

The body creates this fluid to act as a type of shock absorber for the brain and spinal cord. The body constantly produces and reabsorbs the fluid into the blood stream. When the fluid is not absorbed at the correct rate, fluid buildup creates pressure and causes symptoms similar to that of a brain tumor.

When the pressure builds, a doctor might perform a lumbar puncture to relieve the fluid’s pressure. In the most severe instances, the patient receives a therapeutic shunt, which is a tube that assists in draining the cerebrospinal fluid from the skull or from the lower back.

Heather alleges she was never warned that she could suffer PTC/IIH among potential Mirena birth control side effects.

Bayer allegedly did not warn of the risk of PTC/IIH even after the company received an increasing number of reports of intracranial hypertension, blindness, papilledema and increased intracranial pressure. Mirena birth control side effects also can include sudden weight gain, which increases the risk of developing PTC/IIH, but Bayer allegedly failed to warn patients and doctors of this, too.

The Mirena birth control side effects lawsuit alleges Mirena produces hormonal side effects such as PTC/IIH because of the way the device releases levonorgestrel. The Mirena IUD’s label claimed that the levonorgesterel was released in a way that ensured blood levels remained “stable” and “without peaks and troughs.”

Due to a complicated chain of hormonal actions, the levonorgesterel may actually spike and increase the risk of hormonal side effects, alleges the Mirena birth control side effects lawsuit.

The Mirena Birth Control Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-05890-PAE and is part of the Mirena MDL, In re: Mirena IUS Levonorgestrel-related Products Liability Litigation (No. II) , MDL No. 2767 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.