The Essure birth control has been implanted in numerous of women across North America, as a means to permanently prevent pregnancy.

Since its release in 2002, Essure birth control remains the only non surgical method for female sterilization. This has earned its manufacturer Bayer Healthcare millions, as many women prefer the Essure procedure over traditional tubal ligation.

The Essure procedure is conducted by a medical professional, which directly implants the contraceptive in the fallopian tubes. The product consists of two metal coils that cause the muscle and tissue in the fallopian tubes to swell, which will ultimately prevent sperm to egg pregnancy.

Many women seeking permanent sterilization often prefer the Essure birth control, as it is much less invasive and requires significantly less recovery time.

Originally made by Conceptus Inc. and purchased by Bayer, Bayer has repeatedly advertised Essure birth control as a safe and effective method for permanent birth control. However, even though Bayer has showcased the product’s impressive safety profile, a number of patients have reported Essure complications.

Overview of Essure Birth Control Complications

Thousands of women from the United States and Canada have reportedly suffered pain, bleeding, and allergic reactions soon after their Essure procedure. For one Canadian, her Essure complications became so bad she had to undergo a hysterectomy to resolve the problems caused by the contraceptive.

More injury reports of Essure complications have been shared on various social media platforms, such as a Facebook group consisting of 30,000 members. Each of these members share their concerns and personal stories, regarding their Essure birth control experiences.

These concerns have spurred health officials in both countries to take action by taking the Essure birth control under review. Health Canada currently drafted a review of Essure birth control, with the final part of the report shared in late May.

In February 2016, the FDA had ordered Bayer to add a black box warning label to the Essure birth control and called for additional trials to evaluate the safety of the product. However many women have complained further investigations are not enough, and that the product should not be on the market.

Advocacy groups are also alleging the clinical trials conducted before with Essure birth control were not sufficient. One of the two studies only enrolled 926 women, with the researchers only following up on 25% of the of the women two years after the clinical trials were done.

The FDA is also facing criticism for not listening to the injury reports describing Essure complications.

A bill has recently been proposed to ban the Essure birth control completely, with a letter of criticism sent to the FDA.

In the meantime, a number of women are filing legal action against Bayer Healthcare for failing to warn them against Essure complications. The Canadian woman mentioned earlier is now part of a growing potential class action lawsuit, joining women who have suffered similar experiences.

Potential claimants should contact a specialized lawyer to determine if they have an Essure lawsuit.