Unsure about Essure? There’s Good Reason
On Monday the FDA announced that it will require a black box warning and a new postmarketing study of the birth control device Essure. This decision comes after thousands of complaints from women ranging from serious side effects to unplanned pregnancies. The online Essure Problems Facebook Community, which has over 27,000 members, has been effective in prompting this decision from the FDA. But women who have experienced the devastating side-effects of Essure say the product is too dangerous to remain on the market. The group’s About page reads: “Has your life become a living hell since having the Essure procedure done? You are not alone.”
According to this news report, “Essure is marketed as a non-surgical alternative to tubal ligation and consists of a pair of nickel-titanium coils that are inserted into the fallopian tubes, prompting scarring which physically blocks a woman’s eggs from being fertilized.”
Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
Many women have had to undergo surgery to remove the device and correct the damage it has caused. They have experienced side effects such as:
- Perforation of the uterus or fallopian tubes
- Device migration (it doesn’t stay in place)
- Persistent pain
- Allergic or hypersensitivity reactions to the materials in the device
- Bleeding, headaches, exhaustion
Over 600 women have become pregnant while on Essure and half of those babies died as a result.
It’s tragic to hear how these women have suffered, particularly when it is so needless. Pregnancy is not a disease! A woman’s body is not sick just because she is capable of sustaining human life; in fact, it’s just the opposite — it means she is healthy! The irony is that all methods of artificial birth control “work” by damaging what would otherwise be a normal functioning reproductive system.
When it’s necessary to avoid a pregnancy NFP is the only option that always respects a woman’s body. NFP is, and always will be, 100% safe. It is impossible to have negative side-effects from practicing NFP since there are no drugs or devices involved. Not only that, the Sympto-Thermal Method of NFP taught by Couple to Couple League has just as high a method effectiveness rate as female sterilization.
Many people believe that birth control solves a problem, when in fact, like the women who have experienced the harmful side effects of Essure can attest, it too often opens up a whole new host of problems that could have otherwise been avoided.
How confident are you about your birth control? Find out more about NFP today.
— Sarah Drew
Assistant Editor