An Illinois woman has filed a lawsuit against Bayer Corp. and several of its subsidiaries for injuries she says she received through Essure permanent birth control.

What Is Essure Permanent Birth Control?

The Essure permanent birth control system has been marketed as a quick and easy alternative that offers irreversible results with no down time.

Two small metal and fiber coils are inserted into the fallopian tubes, which are reached through the vagina.

Over the course of three months, scar tissue grows around the coils, blocking the fallopian tubes to stop the eggs’ release.

Fast Results, Quick Complications

More than 750,000 women have been implanted with Essure, and thousands have suffered Essure side effects that have adversely affected their lives.

Plaintiff Melanie C.’s doctor discussed the Essure procedure with her and shared an Essure brochure with her.

In February 2013, Melanie underwent the procedure to obtain Essure permanent birth control.

Soon after Essure was in place, Melanie began to experience severe cramping, chronic pain, significant bleeding, vaginal discharge, abnormally heavy menstrual cycles and other complications.

Her condition worsened to the point that her doctor performed an ablation procedure to destroy the uterine lining in July 2016.

She has also had to rely upon pain management therapies to cope with her symptoms.

Essure Permanent Birth Control Problems

When Essure originally came on the market, it was manufactured by a Conceptus, which as far back as July 2003 received warnings from the FDA to analyze its data to identify causes of quality problems with the device.

Among the failures that Conceptus allegedly knew could occur with Essure permanent birth control:

• The stainless steel used in Essure is passivated, which means it is chemically treated to make it less reactive. The material used in Essure can become unpassivated, which leads to rusting and degrading

• Essure permanent birth control coils contain nickel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between 10 and 20% of the population is allergic to nickel.

• Symptoms of an allergic reaction after implantation can include itching, rashes, and in some cases, painful inflammation throughout the body. Some of Essure side effects are attributed to nickel allergy.

• The lead-free solder could have traces of lead in it.

• The galvanic action (corrosion) between the metals used to create Essure could become a constant irritation to some patients.

• The metals in Essure permanent birth control can degrade due to high nickel ion release, which increases the risk of metal poisoning in patients. Also, the mucosal membrane immune response to nickel is different than the immune response in non-mucosal parts of the body.

• Cracks, scratches and other manufacturing defects can disrupt the smooth surface of the metal coil, leading to excess nickel leaching into surrounding tissues.

• The plastic used in the surfacing of the coils is made of PET plastic, which is known to degrade and leach toxins when it reaches a temperature of 85 degrees. When it releases these toxins into the human body, the plastic can cause chronic inflammation and possible autoimmune responses.

Bayer acquired Conceptus and the Essure permanent birth control device in 2013.

The Essure Permanent Birth Control Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-08226 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division.