Many women across the country, and here in Ohio, know that they are not ready to have children. They use any number of forms of birth control in order to avoid pregnancy. Many birth control devices and medications come with significant risks even with the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. In April, the FDA issued an action for Bayer to restrict the sale of a birth control device it manufactures called Essure because of the risks it poses to the women who use it.
Essure is inserted into a woman’s fallopian tubes for the purpose of developing scar tissue that blocks fertilization. Many women complain of chronic pain. Other women have suffered perforations of their fallopian tubes and the uterus. Moreover, the coils could end up migrating into the abdomen or pelvis.
Bayer says it will voluntarily take the product off the market all together as of Dec. 31, 2018. The company claims that it is only discontinuing the product because sales have declined and not due to safety concerns. However, as part of the FDA’s action in April, the company was required to provide assurances regarding the product’s safety.
However, many Ohio women may disagree. If they suffered injuries due to the Essure, they may consider it a victory that Bayer will be removing the product from the U.S. market at the end of the year following the restrictions placed on the company and the product by the FDA. Even so, they may still want to pursue restitution for the harm done to them by this method of birth control.
