Did you have Essure (non surgical sterilization)?
Opinions?
Complications?
Regrets?
I just read about this and am planning to ask my doc about it.
Why?
I had it done, over 10 years ago.
I had no complications afterwards, however during the procedure my cervix said “nope, no way” and the doctor had to knock me out to get in there. I was the first nulliparous woman he’d performed the procedure on and he did mention he would advise major sedation in future for others who hadn’t given birth, rather than the light sedation he had been offering to his previous patients. I was a little disappointed as I was looking forward to watching the placement on the screen, plus unexpected things like that throw me off, but I was completely fine by the following day.
No regrets. Lots of opinions 
Any other questions?
I had it done about two or three years ago. Not a single complication, went off without a hitch, and I am totally happy. Thrilled, really.
What questions do you have?
Eta: I’ve never given birth and had twilight sleep and no problems.
Waiting 13 long years to answer this question?
I had essure done over 4 years ago and it was the worst experience of my life. first there were problems placing the coil. then after i had severe abdominal pains worse than labor. they were debilitating. i had years of health issues. swelling bloating pelvic pain painful intercousere back pain fatigue. i have had 3 surgeries related to essure and having it removed. one coil perforated my fallopian tube and ended up on my colon one coil ended up on my appendix i have fragments of essure in me which i cant find a doc to remove. these coils have pet fibers in them which cause chronic inflammation. they r made of nickel women are getting pregnant even being confirmed blocked after hsg test. there r no long term studies we are the long term study. there are very few that claim they have had no issues from it. a foreign body in your body is not going to be accepted. your body may try to regect it causing all kinds of autoimmune reactions.
Doctors are not made aware of all the side effects and complication that essure can cause bc they were not disclosed until recently. the doc get paid $$$ to have this done in their office vs a tubal ligation. major kickbacks. its not as great as they make it seem. i would walk the path very carefully…
essure problems on facebook (closed group)
Thanks for all the feedback.
I’ll keep researching, although it sounds like it might not be worth the risk considering I’m 45. 15 years ago, maybe.
. Just looking for an alternative birth control options for us. I have medical issues making it a serious no no to get pregnant again.
Not sure what this question is referring to?
I’m assuming that Inna Minnit noticed that the post they referenced was by poster Essured
:smack: Sorry. I’m a guy who doesn’t know about this stuff and now feels I went somewhere I should not have. There again… Ignorance Defeated!
I’d go with either a tubal ligation, or a Mirena IUD, if I were you. The procedure for a tubal does require general anesthesia, but is pretty minor as those things go, and the failure/complication rate is lower for that than the Essure. Or, the Mirena is a good choice, too. It’s an office procedure, and can have the lovely side effect of reducing or eliminating your periods.
I was 36 years old when I had the Essure done. That’s at least 20 more years of periods and of worry. It was the best thing I had ever heard of. She told me of mirena but I was quite sure. I have never wanted children.
I was surprised how easily everyone acquiesced to it. I told my gyn I wanted something to take me through menopause. She sent me to a fertility clinic and I felt out of place but the doctor was so wonderful he made me feel good. The only person who questioned me even once was the nurse, and I didn’t care about her.
The procedure was done under a twilight sleep and super quick. I get no reactions to any drugs or procedures so I felt unworried but the odds of it affecting people aversely is miniscule.
The only “problem” I had was that I am allergic to shellfish. So they could not do the hsg test. Instead they did an ultrasound and told me to wait an extra month.
I have been so happy. I still get my period, which I could do without, but I love never having t worry about pregnancy.
Exactly 
I’m afraid of IUD’s. Probably leftover from horror stories I heard long long ago.
When I found out I couldn’t conceive again, I asked my doc if he could just remove everything so I could live my life worry free and period free. (my exact words were “just rip it out”. I was angry). He said I was too young (mid 20’s) to take the chance that there would be negative consequences of surgery. I know he was right, but I still wish he’d said yes. I wonder if they would say yes 20 years later?
I had my Essure placement procedure yesterday. A little background on me: 35 years old, never been pregnant, haven’t wanted kids, ever, since the age of 17, 2 serious adult relationships with men who’d had vasectomies, but I’m in the process of getting a divorce, so at this point I’m preparing to re-enter the “dating game.”
I’ve done the condom thing, and will continue to in the future until I’m in a serious, monogamous relationship and we’ve both tested negative for STDs. I’ve been on the pill and hated the hormonal side effects, I gained weight, got moody, lost my sex drive…and there’s the fact that I’m now 35 and I smoke, both contra-indicators. So, no hormones for me! I’m uncomfortable with the thought of IUDs, because of the positioning of my uterus, they have to be replaced periodically, and the thought of the strings poking out of my cervix bothered me. So, sterilization options: tubal ligation and Essure.
Essure was more appealing because I was less than thrilled about being anesthetized, I preferred the option of using an opening my body already has rather than cutting new ones, and I liked having less downtime after the procedure. Additionally, Anaamika’s http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=645070&highlight=essure and Drain Bead’s posts http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=584463&highlight=essure were EXTREMELY helpful to me. I also just Googled “Essure” and found some scary websites, and I’m not in any way trying to minimize anyone’s problems, but I feel that it’s important to keep in mind that when most people take to the internet, it’s to complain. The negative stuff gets shouted from the mountaintops, and the good experiences, well, people just move on with their lives. That’s part of my motivation for posting about my pretty good experience.
So here’s how it went down: I went to Essure’s website and used their “Locate a doctor” feature to find a local gyno who took my insurance (I’m currently on Medicaid because I’m so poor! 
), and discovered that I could have it done for free anyway because of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. I had to sign a release and wait a month per my state’s regulations. Fast forward a month.
As it turns out, my procedure was scheduled for 10 days after the first day of my last menstrual cycle, so the timing was perfect. I’d been prescribed Valium, Vicodin, and 600 mg ibuprofen. I was instructed to take the 1 Valium and 1 Vicodin 1 hour prior to the procedure, which I did. I had no one else to drive me, so I called a cab for transportation and by the time I arrived at the office, I was a bit loopy. I gave a urine sample for a pregnancy test, and got a shot in the butt. The nurse told me what it was, but I don’t remember the name of the drug. She said it would relax me physically, and relax my cervix.
And yeah, by the time the doctor got there, I felt pretty relaxed. Dr. speculum-ed me, to visually check my cervix, cleaned it with an iodine swab, and then injected some local anesthetic; that was sting-y, but not too bad. Then it was time for the procedure. I asked if I was going to be able to see the inside of my uterus and was told yes, if I wanted to. Heck yeah! How many people get to be awake and see live video feed of the inside of an organ in their body?
The instrument/scope/tool used is kinda scary looking, not gonna lie. I was uncomfortable as it passed through my cervix, despite the local anesthetic, probably partly because it was the first time in my life that anything had ever passed through my cervix. Doc scoped me out, saying she wanted to visually determine the openings of my fallopian tubes before proceeding. On the screen, I see what looks like a pink cave with veins. They squirted some saline solution into my uterus, presumably to “open it up”, and I can see what reminds me of the “cotton” from a cottonwood tree in the spring when it floats through the air pretty thick; it’s my uterine lining tissue. Pretty cool. So, Doc gets the visuals on both my tubes, and begins placement.
She started on the right one, and it seemed funny to me that I could feel which side she was going in on. I was uncomfortable from the time the scope went through my cervix to until the whole procedure was done, but in terms of pain, the coil placement was the worst of it. The nurses encouraged me to use deep breathing techniques and stay relaxed, and there were times I went to my happy place (snorkelling coral reefs in warm tropical waters watching fish), and they may say this to every woman, but they did tell me I was doing great. On the 1-10 scale, most of the procedure was about a 4 or 5, but there were a couple times it spiked to a 7- 71/2. That pain level only lasted 2-5 seconds, though, so it was tolerable. The first coil went in with no problems; Doc said that they want to see between 2 and 5 coils of wire from the inside of the uterus, and I had 4 showing on the right side; I was able to look at the monitor and see it.
On to the left side: this one is where my pain level spiked a bit more, quite possibly because I was anticipating it. I spent the duration alternately looking at the screen, or facing forward with my eyes closed, still doing the breathing. The first coil went into my left tube easily, but when the instrument was removed, there was too much coil still sticking out. Instead of trying to push it in at all, the doctor removed it and tried again with a new coil. That one went in perfectly, exactly where it needed to be. And then it was all done!
I wanted to try to sit up immediately, but when my body weight was all upright, I got really uncomfortable, like the worst menstrual cramps I’d ever experienced, so I laid back down. I rested for about 10 or 12 minutes, during which time I felt the saline leaking (lovely visual, I know). When I was ready, I was helped up and I got dressed. For those of you who have a preference, bring your own pad; I did because it’s been my experience that gyno’s offices usually have thick bulky ones and I prefer a thin pad. A nurse helped me outside where my taxi home was waiting. At this point, 20 minutes after the procedure, it just feels like mid-level menstrual cramps.
I went home, had a snack, took a vicodin and slept for 2 hours. When I woke up, I had nearly no pain. I vegged on the couch and watched movies and was fine. This morning (I’m now nearly 24 hours past the procedure), I just have a feeling in my lower abdomen similar to the day before my period, of fullness and mild bloating, but no cramps. I’m drinking a lot of water today and I plan on doing some walking this afternoon.
So far, all good. I’m glad that I made this decision and that after the confirmation test in 3 months, I won’t ever have to worry about getting pregnant again.
~And sorry for the huge-ass length of this post, but this is all the information I was interested in when I was researching, so if it helps somebody else, then…
Blondecountryangel, thanks so much for this! I hope it works well for you and I’d love it if you’d update this in a few months and tell us how your follow up goes.
Since this thread came back up - my mom had a Dalkon Shield (the infamous IUD) implanted back in the day. She suffered horrible cramps and some bleeding that day, and upon returning to the doctor the next day, was told it had been expelled because it was gone. Nope. She had a hysterectomy about 20 years later and it was found embedded in the outer layer of her uterus! :eek:
That being said, my Mirena was life-changing. It eliminated my weekly migraines and shut off my period except for maybe a little spotting a couple times a year, for a day or so. I love it and will get another one when this one “expires” in a year and a half. (Implantation was easy, too - some pain but no real cramping after, and my husband and I walked to a nearby brewpub for lunch and beer after.)
Thanks to Ferret Herder and other mentions of Mirena. I’ll be checking it out.
Mind you, not everyone has the same glowing reviews. I was also fortunate in that I got some kind of vaginally-delivered pill to open up my cervix the night prior, as well as a prescription Motrin for pre-medicating for any pain.
But yeah, considering I’ve been migraine-free since the implantation? Even if some terrible IUD expulsion/uterine injury side effect happened, I would probably still want another one after I healed!
That’s why I talk about it, too. Glad I could help. I only had the equivalent of mild menstrual cramps when I got mine done.
This thread has been quiet for a few months, but I went for my follow up this past week and wanted to come back and post about it for anyone who was curious. I had my Essure placed 7/25/14 and should have been able to get my confirmation test done in October but no one told me that apparently radiologists like to be within a 7-10 day window of the start of your last menstrual cycle and I missed that window for October. 
Bummer.
I was prepared for November though. I had to make calls to my gyno’s office, my insurance company, and a couple hospitals to find the place to go that would accept my insurance and wasn’t a Catholic hospital. I finally got it sorted and made an appointment for 7 days past my last menstrual cycle, which coincidentally was 10/25/14, exactly 4 months after my placement.
The night before, I took 600 mg of ibuprofen at bedtime to get that beginning to kick in. The next morning I had my usual coffee and a protein bar for breakfast, and popped 800 mg of ibuprofen and a leftover vicodin an hour before my appointment. I wasn’t told by anyone to medicate, but I read enough online accounts to know it was a smart thing to do. I’m glad I did.
After checking in and some waiting, I was taken back to an exam room. The nurses were great, and I’d brought a sheet that my gyno had given me on which the radiologist is supposed to document findings. They explained the hysterosalpingogram procedure, made sure I understood everything and asked if I had any questions. I asked if there were any restrictions on sexual activity after the procedure and I was told that typically you’re advised not to engage in sexual activity the day of, in other words for the rest of the day. I wasn’t planning on it anyway, but I wanted to ask to make sure.
So, I got undressed from the waist down and put on a gown. The nurses reentered the room and had me hop up on a big table with a big x-ray imaging thingy above it. She took a snap of my relaxed uterus and showed me that the Essure coils were easily visible by the markers on each end of the coils, and they looked to be where they’re supposed to be.
Then the radiologist came in. He reviewed the HSG procedure with me and then got started. I had to scoot down to the edge of the table and basically frog leg with my heels at the corners of the table and no stirrups or support for my feet or legs. And you’re supposed to relax? What genius came up with this concept? I did my best.
The doc inserted a speculum and swabbed my cervix with iodine, and then inserted a very thin catheter through my cervical opening. That part felt like the most invasive part of a pap smear, in other word, not bad at all. After the catheter was in place the speculum was removed and I was assisted in sliding back up the table to the middle portion with my abdomen underneath the x-ray machine.
There’s what he referred to as a “little balloon” that needs to be inflated right at the bottom of the uterus; I presume it’s to create a seal so that the contrast dye doesn’t leak out under pressure. That was a little crampy for me, but not too horrible.
And then the fun part… The doc told me that he was going to fill my uterus with the contrast dye now and that I might experience some discomfort. I go into deep breathing, and relax as much as possible. I feel the expansion of my uterus (which is kinda crazy; never before have I been so acutely aware of an organ in my body as with this procedure beginning to end) and a growing feeling of cramps that is a steady pain, not at all kind of growing and receding, like my normal menstrual cramps are. X-rays are taken, and I’m staring at the ceiling, trying to breathe, and endure. It wasn’t pleasant for me, and like I said, I was glad for the painkillers I took. The doc asked the nurses if there was a pressure level that was specified for the fill, and I was quick to say that it’s not as much as for infertility tests! (apparently, for infertility, they sometimes give it a little more pressure to see if they can clear a blockage in the fallopian tubes, if a mild blockage is present) He kinda chuckled and said that he was going to give it just a little more, and told me to hang in there. The final bit of pressure was the worst, but it was only for less than 5 seconds, probably. He then gave it negative pressure to empty some of the contrast dye fluid and I felt immediate relief, and then the catheter and the whole works was removed and I was done.
He asked if I wanted to see my images on the screen and I said yes. He showed me and pointed out the balloon at the bottom, my uterus filled with the contrast dye that showed up an opaque white on the screen, and he pointed to the horns of my uterus, where the white dye stopped. “See, that’s what we’re looking for. There’s nothing getting past the occlusion in your fallopian tubes.” Yay!! I’m still waiting for official word from my gynecologist’s office but I saw it with my own eyes; I’m childfree and worry free now.
I had some spotting immediately afterwards, but nothing too bad. I went home and crashed, and when I woke up, I felt fine. Now that all’s said and done, I couldn’t be happier with my decision.
So, I hope this helps too, PurpleClogs. Have you made a decision for yourself yet?