Essure birth control can lead to painful and life-changing complications, according to the large number of women who have reported Essure side effects.

Essure is a permanent birth control method consisting of two small coils that are placed in the fallopian tubes to encourage scar tissue development. This scar tissue build-up takes approximately three months to reach a point where there is complete occlusion of the tubes which then prevents the union of male sperm and female egg.

One of the high selling points of Essure–as opposed to tubal ligation, a surgical procedure done under general anesthesia involving bilateral abdominal incisions–is that the coils can be implanted in a doctor’s office visit using a catheter to deliver via the vagina and cervix.

This was such a convenient alternative for sterilization that it was undertaken by many women after its approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Nov. 4, 2002.

Despite the convenience on the front end, however, reports of Essure side effects began to pour into the FDA Adverse Events Database.

The coils, according to these reports, had sometimes cut into the fallopian tubes, migrated within the pelvic cavity due to poor occlusion, caused irremediable pain, irregular bleeding, suffering, unintended pregnancy, circumstances leading to hysterectomies, and possibly caused death in some recipients. Other reported Essure side effects included:

• Allergic reaction to the materials of which the coils are made
• Unexplained weight gain
• Foggy thought processes
• Feelings of anxiety, depression, desire to end one’s life
• Heavy metal toxicity of the blood
• Pain in the joints or spinal column (back)
• Worsening symptoms of pre-existing allergies
• Skin rashes
• Stomach upset, reverse peristalsis (vomiting)
• Hair loss

Because of these numerous reports of Essure side effects, activist Erin Brokovich set up a website where women could share some of their stories.

Heather, a nurse and massage therapist sharing on the website www.essureprocedure.net, had Essure coils implanted at the encouragement of her doctor as an alternative to hysterectomy when she was experiencing unretractable and excessive bleeding into her fifties. After implantation, she admits to forgetfulness, weight gain, painful joints, abdominal pain, and depression.

Another story on this sponsored website is that of Delinda. The Essure side effects she experienced started with a full ten years of excessive bleeding during her menstrual cycles. She then started to experience fainting spells.

During one of those spells, she hit her head and sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Delinda’s TBI came with its own set of problems such as chronic unemployment or underemployment because of poor attention span and follow-through, and loss of vocabulary. She ultimately blames Essure side effects for the conditions that led to the TBI and its consequences.

If you feel you have been injured because of having Essure coils implanted, a product liability lawyer may be able to help you with a free, initial consultation to see if you can receive compensation for the suffering you have endured.