Recent Essure injury claims against Bayer Healthcare are now set to be heard by the Missouri Supreme Court.

The Essure injury claims were initially filed last year, in April 2016. The 92 plaintiffs alleged that after being implanted with a permanent birth control option from Bayer known as Essure, they have suffered a variety of serious injuries. In response, these plaintiffs chose to file their Essure injury claims, hoping to gain some kind of compensation for their injuries.

These are not the first women to come forward with complaints about the Essure device. In fact, more than 3,700 women have so far brought their Essure injury claims against Bayer Healthcare. The litigation piling up against Bayer has had a significant financial impact on the company. According to its latest annual statement, it was hit with losses of around $413 million in relation to Essure problems.

Bayer moved to dismiss the lawsuit over jurisdiction complaints, and also claims that the federal government’s approval of the device means that the company is immune from lawsuits involving it. Bayer’s motion to dismiss was rejected by the circuit court last December, although the company maintains its position and will continue its arguments for the Missouri supreme court to overturn the lower court’s refusal to dismiss.

Background of Essure Birth Control

Essure is a popular option for women looking for permanent birth control. So far, around 750,000 women have been implanted with Essure since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in 2002.

The Essure system is made up of two metal coils, which are placed in the fallopian tubes as part of an outpatient procedure. The process is designed to be done in a doctor’s office without invasive surgery—in fact, Essure implantation doesn’t involve an incision of any kind, and patients do not even need to undergo anesthesia for the procedure.

After this initial procedure, it takes two to three months for the Essure coils to become effective. Once placed, the surrounding tissue grows in around them, which blocks the fallopian tubes and thereby prevents sperm to egg fertilization.

Bayer Healthcare has marketed Essure as a safer, simpler, and more effective option for permanent birth control than the other options currently available. Unfortunately, the device has been increasingly linked with a number of serious side effects that some patients claim they were not adequately warned about. The FDA has reportedly received more than 5,000 individual adverse event reports from women with Essure injury claims.

Essure Injury Claims

A growing number of patients implanted with Essure allege that they were not adequately warned about some of the major Essure side effects that have been linked with the device.

Minor side effects of Essure include headaches, dizziness, vomiting, cramps, abdominal or back pain, fatigue, weight fluctuation, and pain during sex. Major Essure side effects, however, can be much more serious and lasting in nature.

Patients have reported more serious Essure problems, including failure of the implant, device migration, organ perforation, device fracture, and ectopic pregnancy. While more serious Essure side effects may require device removal, removal surgery can unfortunately bring with it its own risks.

Filing Your Own Essure Injury Claims

Patients are coming forward with Essure injury claims against Bayer Healthcare, alleging that the company failed to adequately warn patients and the medical community about these Essure risks, and instead chose to actively withhold information about complications.

If you or someone you love has suffered from any of these minor or major Essure side effects, you may be able to file your own Essure injury claims against Bayer.