Are you an e-sister?

 

 

While I was doing some networking and promotion for my books, I came across something interesting – a group of women who have labeled themselves as esisters.   The esisters refers to women who have used the essure™ birth control device.  These women are frustrated because apparently they have had complications with the implantation, use and/or removal of their essure™.  This issue has even gained the attention of Erin Brockovich, known for her advocacy efforts on behalf of individuals which inspired a Hollywood movie. 

(For more information here is Erin’s website http://www.essureprocedure.net/ )

Well after reading some of the complications that women are reporting from their essure procedure, I was concerned.  As many of you may know, I am also an esister, I had the essure device implanted several years ago.  If you have read my book, “The Misadventures of Me and My Uterus” you might recall that I refer to my spring-loaded uterus and describe my experience with this procedure.  According to Conceptus Inc., the company that manufactures and sells essure™, it is “a non-surgical, permanent method of birth control. Essure consists of two flexible metal fiber coils that are placed in the fallopian tubes through the cervix in a 10-minute procedure. Over three months a natural barrier then forms.”

After learning about the problems that so many women have been having, it is difficult to accurately assess whether some of the problems I have attributed to peri-menopause might actually be related to my spring-loaded uterus.  At this point I think I need to do some additional research.  For me personally, I have never been an alarmist, and one of my pet peeves are pregnant women who read "What to Expect When Your Are Expecting" and 'suddenly' get each new symptom they read about, but I have been struggling with some unusual challenges with my body for the past few years.  I simply shrugged it off as peri-menopause, yet it is very possible that some of these symptoms have a different cause.  

Below are links to some web resources about the essure™ controversy.  I am not typically nervous, but the more I am learning about this device, the more concerned I am becoming.  I think this is a topic that we should all be watching closely. 

http://essureproblems.webs.com/

http://www.hormonesmatter.com/essure-sterilization-coils-good-bad-ugly/

http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com/special-reports/bayer-doesnt-conceive-conceptus