A Mississippi woman has filed a Mirena lawsuit against the makers of her contraceptive claiming that her severe side effects were a result of the manufacturer’s negligence.

Plaintiff Constance S., a woman in her early thirties, was inserted with the Mirena IUD in January 2013. The Mirena Intrauterine Device is designed to release small levels of a hormone to prevent pregnancy.

According to her Mirena lawsuit, Constance began experiencing headaches, vision loss and sensitivity to light soon after she was implanted with the Mirena device.

On Feb. 6, 2015, Constance underwent an MRI procedure to rule out serious problems. The test, according to her Mirena lawsuit, was given to rule out “intracranial abnormalities.” After her test, she was informed by medical professionals that she most likely had a diagnosis of intracranial hypertension.

According to her Mirena lawsuit, she underwent a second MRI in May of that same year and then was subjected to a more invasive test to determine the source of her symptoms: a lumbar puncture. This diagnostic lumbar puncture was intended to evaluate increase intracranial pressure.

She was then, according to her Mirena lawsuit, diagnosed with intracranial hypertension. She believes this was caused by her Mirena IUD and seeks to hold the device manufacturers responsible.

Constance has been “permanently injured and has incurred or will incur past and future medical expenses, has experienced or will experience past and future pain and suffering, has incurred or will incur lost wages, and is subject to an increased risk of future harm,” her Mirena lawsuit states.

Constance is bringing forth this Mirena lawsuit on multiple counts including negligence, design defect, failure to warn, strict liability, breach of implied warranty, breach of express warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation and fraud by suppression and concealment.

How Does Mirena Work?

Mirena is an intrauterine device (IUD) intended to prevent pregnancy. It is a small, flexible plastic device inserted into a patient’s uterus by a doctor.

It releases small levels of a hormone known as levonorgestrel. No one is sure exactly how levonorgestrel prevents pregnancy, but it is a very successful method of birth control.

However, Mirena and other similar contraceptives that use levonorgestrel have been connected with a heightened level of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull. This condition is known as pseudotumor cerebri or idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

Many patients who suffer from this first may believe that they have a brain tumor as symptoms for IIH are similar to that of a brain tumor.

Symptoms of IIH include

• Vomiting
• Nausea or dizziness
• Headaches or migraines originating behind the eyes and worsening with eye movement
• A ringing in the ears
• Vision loss in both eyes or one eye
• Blind spots and double vision
• Neck stiffness
• Problems with seeing to the side
• Blurred vision
• Photopsia (seeing light flashes)
• Neck and shoulder pain
• Back pain
• Problems with walking
• Forgetfulness
• Depression

Constance’s Mirena Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-02309 in the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York.