What is the Mirena birth control device and what should you expect to experience if you choose to use it?

Mirena is an intrauterine device manufactured and distributed by Bayer and related companies. It is made to be able to remain in place for up to five years and comes loaded with enough hormones—released in small amounts—to prevent pregnancy over that time.

Despite how convenient it sounds, the Mirena birth control IUD device is quite controversial. It has been the subject of numerous lawsuits filed by women that have suffered unanticipated life-altering side effects.

According to a December 2018 article posted on Rewire News, one of those Mirena side effects is a neurological disorder known as pseudotumor cerebri.

What is Pseudotumor Cerebri or Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension?

Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) is a condition affecting the levels of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF)—a cushion that protects the brain and spinal cord from injury on a daily basis. According to the Mayo Clinic, CSF is continuously produced in the brain and absorbed into the bloodstream.

PTC is believed to exist because there is a problem reabsorbing excess CSF, and the pressure of this excess fluid causes symptoms that resemble that of a brain tumor. The Mayo Clinic indicates that a sufferer could experience frequent headaches mimicking migraines in intensity that often starts behind the eyes and becomes more difficult to withstand with eye use.

Additional experiences might include visual disturbances such as double vision or blurred line of sight, a blockage of peripheral vision, seeing flashes of light on occasion, and small periods of blindness. Apart from the visual symptoms, a victim of PTC can also have a type of pulsating tinnitus, and experience dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and vomiting.

As of the December posting of the Rewire News article, there have been 856 Mirena lawsuits filed against Bayer and gathered together for judicial efficiency in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

While the Mirena birth control device holds its place among popular choices for long-term pregnancy prevention that is not permanent, it is also number one in complaints among IUDs, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA has collected 95,008 negative reports on the IUD from women who have had the Mirena birth control device implanted. Of those complaints, 697 have allegedly concerned Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH)—a term used interchangeably with PTC. It is this side effect that has been at the center of lawsuits.

Apart From Potential Side Effects, What Is The Experience of Having an IUD Implanted Like?

The implantation process of an IUD has been described by the author of a September 2015 Your Tango article as like a “very intense menstrual cramp” of a particularly brutal cycle. The writer’s experience was reportedly made tolerable by taking Xanax ahead of her appointment.

That said, for those that have endured the process and not experienced any negative symptoms, the Mirena IUD and similar devices have proven to be very convenient in that a lot of thought does not need to be put towards preventing pregnancy for five years.