More than 16,000 women in the United States have filed Essure lawsuits against Bayer AG, which recently announced the permanent birth control device would no longer be available after Dec. 31.

The voluntary recall could help women who have filed Essure lawsuits have even stronger cases against Bayer.

Essure is a nonsurgical, permanent birth control device that consists of two metal and fiber coils that are inserted into the fallopian tubes through the vagina. The coils are designed to instigate the growth of scar tissue, a “natural” way to block the eggs from being released by the fallopian tubes.

A company called Conceptus introduced Essure in 1998, and it was FDA-approved in 2002. Bayer reportedly bought out Conceptus in 2013 and became responsible for the Essure product.

The FDA received more than 5,000 adverse event reports from women between 2002 and 2005, according to Bloomberg. They alleged they were injured by Essure or had experienced unwanted pregnancies, still births or miscarriages after receiving the implants.

Women have filed Essure lawsuits after allegedly experiencing the coils migrating, fracturing or puncturing fallopian tubes or other internal organs. Others say they have had to deal with ectopic pregnancies, unending bleeding, excruciating pelvic pain, fatigue and other debilitating side effects.

Bayer has been accused of covering up many reports of adverse events and received citations from the FDA for failing to disclose thousands of complaints as Medical Device Reports.

Bayer also allegedly disclosed that only 22 incidents of organ perforation had occurred at a time when the company purportedly knew 144 perforations had occurred.

Essure Lawsuits Allege Bayer Knew of Problems

Many Essure lawsuits allege that Bayer must have known of the problems with the permanent birth control device, but failed to warn women of the true risks.

Several problems that women have experienced have been linked to the materials used to manufacture the Essure coils. The stainless steel coils can become unpassivated over time. This means that because the coils contain nickel, anyone with nickel allergies is apt to experience rejection in the form of inflammation, swelling and rashes. In addition, the metal can degrade, resulting in toxic levels metal ions in patients.

The plastic coating is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which can release toxins, cause inflammation, and induce autoimmune responses.

At temperatures above 85 degrees, PET fibers can leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can mimic or block a natural hormone, tricking the body into thinking a hormone has been released. At that point, the body can mistakenly activate a hormone’s receptor, inducing hormonal responses that are supposed to be activated exclusively by natural hormonal influences.

Despite announcing the voluntary recall of Essure, Bayer continues to maintain the device is safe and effective and promises to “stand behind the product’s safety and efficacy.”

More than 36,000 women belong to a Facebook group known as “Essure Problems” that allows them to share the side effects and experiences they have endured since receiving the implant.

Upon hearing of Bayer’s voluntary recall, the creator of the Essure Problems page told NBC News the announcement “has brought us all to our knees in thanks, relief and celebration. Not one more woman will be harmed by this device. We have won, we have finally won.”