In 2003 the FDA approved the Mirena IUD, a birth control device made by the mega pharmaceutical company, Bayer. The device; is intended to be inserted vaginally into the uterus by the user. Once in place it releases hormones that cause a thickening of the mucous of the uterine wall, inhibiting the migration of sperm, greatly reducing, but not completely eliminating, the chance of pregnancy occurring. When pregnancies do take place, despite the use of the Mirena IUD, those pregnancies often are aborted spontaneously or occur outside of the fallopian tubes. This is referred to as an ectopic pregnancy. During this type of pregnancy, the fallopian tubes may rupture leading to an injury that is potentially fatal.
Harmful side effects from Mirena IUD
Ectopic pregnancy is not the only potentially harmful side effect that can be caused by the Mirena IUD. Migration of the implanted device can also occur. The IUD, in these cases, travels and penetrates the uterine wall causing hemorrhaging. In extreme cases the device can migrate into the abdominal cavity, causing trauma to the internal organs such as the liver and spleen.
A third adverse effect of the Mirena IUD is a pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is a severe infection of the entire reproductive system that can lead to permanent infertility. This disease can masquerade as a sexually transmitted disease and is often treated as one until it is too late. Misdiagnoses of PID can lead to critical complications.
Doors Open to Individual Claims
Last year a federal judge issued a denial to Bayer, who filed a motion to consolidate the many lawsuits filed against them. These suits charged that the drug company concealed the potential dangers of the Mirena IUD and continued marketing it as safe. The decision of this judge allowed for individual users of this contraceptive device, who sustained injury or became ill due to the use of the device, to file individual lawsuits against the drug company. In most cases, the suits filed against Bayer allege that the drug company failed deliberately in issuing a warning about the adverse effect of the devices use. Exposing the truth would have led to weak sales and a loss of revenue to the company. They are accused of knowingly marketing a potentially harmful product for financial gain. Detrimental issues regarding the Mirena IUD such as hemorrhaging, PID, migration and expulsion have been reported over 45,000 times. Defective drug attorneys have pursued countless settlements nationwide.
FDA Warning
Bayer’s marketing campaign was focused around a “Simple Style Program” that claimed that the woman who used the device would look and feel great, in their own words. In 2009 Bayer received an FDA warning that the marketing campaign failed to alert the consumer of the potential of infection and the increased risk of a spontaneous abortion in those case where an unplanned pregnancy took place. In the same year, the FDA approved the use of the Mirena IUD for the control of excessive menstrual blood flow.
If you are a woman who is currently using the Mirena IUD, it is advisable to have it removed if you are experiencing any pain, abnormal bleeding, or any of these other serious side-effects. The described symptoms after removal don’t happen to every woman and are not dangerous, as long as suicidal thoughts do not become acute. On the other hand, a migrating IUD (one that moves from its intended location) can lead to internal injuries, multiple surgeries, miscarriage, and possible sterility. (833) 606-DRUG [3784].
