Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals faces a woman’s recent Mirena IUD lawsuit due to serious adverse effects and complications she suffered after the device’s implantation.

Plaintiff Christina R. files the Mirena IUD lawsuit in New York federal court joining a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Bayer. The Mirena IUD lawsuit was filed on Feb. 15, 2018.

According to the Mirena IUD lawsuit, Christina, a resident of the state of Illinois, says that she was implanted with the Mirena IUD in January 2010. She says that she relied on Bayer’s representations of the IUD when she decided to use it as a contraceptive device.

However, she says that she later received results indicating a diagnosis of intracranial hypertension, on Feb. 2, 2016. On Feb. 26, 2016, she had the Mirena IUD removed.

The Mirena IUD lawsuit was filed 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.

Christina demands a trial by jury.

Overview: Mirena IUD Lawsuit

The Mirena IUD device is an intrauterine system with a T-shaped polyethylene frame. The device becomes inserted into a woman’s uterus and acts as a contraceptive device preventing pregnancy. Once in place, the device can remain there for five years. Through its implantation, the system also releases a synthetic progestogen, known as levonorgestrel, into the uterus for birth control.

According to the Mirena IUD lawsuit, Mirena became approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2000. When first introduced to the market, the device provided women with an alternative by eliminating the need for having to take birth control pills daily.

However, some women accuse the company of falsely representing the safety of Mirena. They accuse the company of insufficiently and inadequately warning consumers of the adverse side effects and complications that are linked to the device, including the development of pseudotumor cerebri.

According to the Mayo Clinic, pseudotumor cerebri occurs when there is intracranial pressure inside the skull. The symptoms of the condition mimic those of a brain tumor, but no tumor is actually present in the brain.

What causes the increase of intracranial pressure is the buildup and excess of cerebrospinal fluid in the person’s skull. As the pressure inside the skull begins to buildup, vision becomes increasingly affected and partial vision loss and even total blindness may result. Often, because symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri are like those of a brain tumor, patients become misdiagnosed with the latter. Treatment is recommended to be sought after as quickly as possible.

Symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri may include:

• Double vision
• Difficulty seeing to the side
• Blurred or dimmed vision
• Vomiting, dizziness, or nausea
• Ringing in the ears that “pulses in time with your heartbeat”
• Moderate to severe headaches
• Back, neck, and shoulder pain

The Mirena IUD Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-01365-PAE-JLC, in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York.