Over recent years, increasing evidence about the dangers posed by Essure has ignited significant backlash against Bayer, the pharmaceutical giant which manufactures and distributes the birth control device. In fact, critical safety risks and a growing number of lawsuits filed by women against Bayer have prompted to the company to publicly announce that it will stop selling Essure by the end of 2018. Unfortunately, for the many women who have already had the permanent birth control device implanted in their bodies, health problems don’t simply end with Essure being taken off the market.
While official statistics for the number of women who have had Essure implants removed are not readily available, experts suggest that thousands of women across the U.S. and other countries where the permanent birth control device is available have had to undergo removal procedures. What’s more, issues related to the device, which is implanted into the fallopian tubes, have also created various complications and health consequences associated with removal surgeries.
Essure & Adverse Health Complications
To date, over 1 million women worldwide have had received Essure implants. First approved in Europe in 2001 and the U.S. in 2002, Essure gained widespread attention after national health regulators, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), began to receive thousands of “adverse incident” reports from women. Those reports led to the issuance of numerous safety warnings, in addition to a number of lawsuits.
According to publically available records from the FDA, tens of thousands of women in the U.S. have reported health issues and complications linked to Essure, with an estimated 10,000 or more involving implant removal. There have also been at least eight deaths connected to Essure, including the death of women who suffered an embolism several days after undergoing a hysterectomy to remove the device.
Federal regulators are careful about definitively stating whether deaths were solely caused by Essure or other surgical complications, but their records do indicate many serious health risks associated with the birth control device. As the FDA notes, these most commonly include:
- Chronic and severe pain
- Perforation of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and other pelvic organs
- Device breakage and migration of coils into the abdomen or pelvis
- Allergic reactions, headaches, and migraines
- Ectopic pregnancy and other pregnancy complications
Women who undergo surgical procedures to remove Essure devices are also exposed to various risks, complications, and damages that could and should have been prevented had the device functioned as intended. These include:
- Costly removal, reversal, and additional revision / corrective surgeries
- Pain and suffering associated with recovering from surgery
- Lost income caused by missing work
- Risks associated with infections, hemorrhaging, and other complications
- Hysterectomies or removal of other reproductive organs (often in cases where devices break, migrate, and/or cause other problems)
- Bowel dysfunction, renal failure, and other disabilities or impairment
- Emotional pain and suffering
- Wrongful death
If you or someone you love have experienced complications associated with Essure, including the need for any removal or reversal surgery, you may have the right to seek financial compensation for your losses. Thousands of women across the country have stepped forward to add their voices to a growing number of Essure complaints and pending lawsuits against Bayer, and our legal team at Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC is prepared to assist victims and their families as they navigate the legal journey ahead.
Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC, LLP is comprised of nationally recognized Houston trial lawyers who have extensive experience handling complex cases involving product liability and injuries and losses caused by defective drugs and medical devices. If you would like more information about your legal rights, whether you may have a potential claim, and how our award-winning attorneys can fight for you, call or contact us online to request a free and confidential consultation.
