Women who have suffered side effects after removal of a ParaGard IUD are not alone.

Complications may include a broken intrauterine device (IUD) and parts of the broken IUD may become embedded in the uterus.

When problems arise, some women are forced to undergo invasive surgery to completely remove the IUD or may even face an unexpected hysterectomy.

What is ParaGard Birth Control?

The ParaGard IUD is a T-shaped plastic device covered in a copper coil, with two strings attached to facilitate the device’s eventual removal.

According to the manufacturer, copper causes an inflammatory reaction that stops the sperm from reaching the egg, preventing pregnancy.

How Does ParaGard Birth Control Work?

The device is placed in the uterus during a nonsurgical procedure during a routine office visit to a health care provider.

According to the manufacturer, ParaGard is designed to stay in place to prevent pregnancy for up to 10 years. Once implanted, ParaGard birth control reportedly starts working within five days.

Because the ParaGard copper IUD does not produce hormones, the woman’s menstrual cycle should not be interrupted, but some side effects may include longer or heavier periods, a more painful period or spotting between periods that may include abnormal uterine bleeding.

Women should be aware that within the first four weeks of having the IUD implanted, they are at an increased risk for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection of the uterus and potentially the ovaries.

To reduce the risk of infection post-implantation, using a condom is recommended during sexual relations for the first four weeks.

Who Makes ParaGard IUD?

CooperSurgical, a global medical device company headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., is who makes ParaGard.

CooperSurgical focuses on products for women, babies and families, including medical devices and services to address fertility and genomics, according to the company’s website.

CooperSurgical bought the device from Teva Pharmaceuticals for $1.1 billion in November 2017.

ParaGard Effectiveness

ParaGard touts a 99 percent effectiveness rate at preventing pregnancies. That rate could drop if complications occur, however.

In some cases, the ParaGard may come out unexpectedly. One 25-year-old woman with three children wrote a review saying she had her ParaGard implanted in 2012.

She’s had short and late periods for two months, which her doctor said was normal. She then discovered that the ParaGard had fallen out at some point.

She’s in the middle of getting blood work done to make sure she’s not pregnant because she’s not ready for a fourth baby.

The best-case scenario is when a woman is ready to have the ParaGard removed, the health care provider will be able to use forceps to hold the IUD’s strings, and the IUD will be removed with a gentle pull. 

ParaGard is made to allow the arms that form the top of the “T” to fold up as it is withdrawn from the body, reducing the friction of its removal.

Unfortunately, this is not always the reality of ParaGard removal. Since 2013, over 3,000 women have allegedly suffered from ParaGard breakage and related complications.

Some women have experienced the ParaGard birth control device becoming attached to the uterus or going through the uterus.

Still, others have had parts of the device breakaway, and patients allege the company knew of the dangers of the device being fragile and prone to breaking. Embedded pieces of the IUD may have to be surgically removed.

Thousands of similar situations have been recorded in the FDA’s Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS).

According to coverage from ABC 7 News, at least 3,186 reports of device breakage can be found in the FAERS database. Of these, 1,910 were deemed “serious” while 102 involved hospitalization or life-threatening complications.

After suffering from these complications, some patients took legal action against manufacturers to seek compensation for their injuries.

If you experienced complications after ParaGard removal, you may be able to take legal action.

An experienced attorney can review your eligibility to seek compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.