A group of birth control activists have praised a Bayer Essure recall, issued after years of debate about the safety of the device. The company announced the voluntary market withdrawal in July 2018, noting that they would no longer be selling or distributing the popular birth control device after Dec. 31 of this year.

Basics of Essure Birth Control Device

Bayer’s Essure device is a form of permanent birth control, first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002. Essure was designed to offer an alternative option for permanent birth control than surgical tubal ligation that still provides long-term protection.

The popularity of the device has rapidly grown in the years since its approval, having been implanted in around 750,000 patients so far.

The basic structure of the Essure system is two metal coils with a fabric lining, placed inside of the fallopian tubes. Over the course of two to three months after the device is inserted, the coils expand in place, and the surrounding tissue grows in around the coils, blocking the fallopian tubes and preventing pregnancy. The process is designed to be done in a doctor’s office, without the invasive surgery of tubal ligation.

Bayer’s advertising positioned Essure as a safe and effective method of permanent birth control. However, thousands of patients have come forward with claims that they have suffered from significant side effects after insertion with the Essure device.

Essure Birth Control Side Effects

Patients have reported suffering from Essure birth control side effects including failure of the implant, device migration, organ perforation, device fracture, and ectopic pregnancy.

Some more major Essure birth control side effects may require device removal. Unfortunately, removal surgery can bring with it its own complications. Surgery is further complicated if a patient has suffered from Essure birth control side effects like device fracture or migration, which can make removal far more difficult, sometimes necessitating a complete hysterectomy.

The Bayer Essure Recall

After countless reports of major Essure side effects, the manufacturer has announced a voluntary Bayer Essure recall.

The voluntary Bayer Essure recall was, Bayer claims, not in response to the reports of side effects linked with the device, but because of a “decline in U.S. sales of Essure in recent years and the conclusion that the Essure business is no longer sustainable.”

The pharmaceutical giant maintains that the decline in sales is due to the overall decreased use of permanent birth control methods. On top of this, they also cite “inaccurate and misleading publicity about the device.” Whatever the reason for the Bayer Essure recall, the device will no longer be available after Dec. 31, 2018.

Filing an Essure Complications Lawsuit

Hundreds of Essure users have filed litigation against Bayer HealthCare, alleging that Bayer failed to adequately warn patients and the medical community about these major Essure side effects. Plaintiffs allege that, had they been adequately informed of these complications, they would never have been implanted with an Essure birth control device in the first place and avoided these risks altogether.

If you or someone you love has suffered from any of these Essure birth control side effects, you may be able to file an Essure lawsuit against Bayer.