What is the Mirena IUD, and how is it hurting Texas women?

Birth control options are booming in the marketplace as new drug technology gives women more control over their own bodies. Small hormone-delivery systems such as Norplant and Norplant II, Implanon, and Nexplanon are all designed to be implanted in the body under the skin, OrthoEvra is a transdermal patch that delivers hormonal birth control through the skin. New developments with intra-uterine device (IUD) technology has led to the development of hormone-delivery IUDs like Skyla and Mirena.

But all is not as well as it should be. Are companies rushing products to market without adequate testing or safety warnings? Bayer’s Mirena IUD has recently come under intense scrutiny for potentially causing a wide range of harm to women, including device migration, organ perforation, and pseudotumor cerebri, a severe condition that’s easily mistaken for a brain tumor.

What Is Mirena?

Mirena IUD is a birth control device intended to be inserted by a physician through the vagina and into the uterus, where it resides inside the user’s body until the user chooses to have it removed (which also requires a physician.)

Mirena looks like a small, plastic “T”-shaped device with two long locator strings attached to the bottom. The locator strings are placed such that the user can self-check that the device is still in position, following the instructions from the manufacturer and physician. They also assist the physician in removal, should the user no longer wish to continue to use the device or the device lifespan has expired (which takes about five years, according to Bayer.)

Mirena is a part of a new generation of IUD devices that release a kind of hormonal birth control. The vertical stem of Mirena contains a reservoir of a drug called levonorgestrel, a widely-available birth control hormone often used as a form of emergency contraception.

What Are the Potential Risks of Mirena?

Mirena carries a number of risks inherent to hormonal birth control, including some of the following complains or symptoms:

• Changes to monthly bleeding patterns
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Ovarian cysts
• Tenderness in the breasts
• Acne
• Changes to mood

But the standard side effects associated with levonorgestrel are just the beginning. Mirena has also been associated with the following side effects:

• Ectopic pregnancies
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Spontaneous device ejection
• Device migration
• Perforation of the uterus or other organs or tissue
• Pseudotumor cerebri

Yet despite these and other potentially dangerous side effects, Bayer pushed on with a massive marketing campaign. In 2009, the FDA issued a warning to Bayer about Mirena, chastising the company and its marketing efforts for understating the risks of Mirena, overstating its effectiveness, making unsubstantiated claims, and using “false or misleading presentations” about Mirena.

Women Fight Back With Lawsuits

Lawsuits have begun to build as women who have suffered from complications of their Mirena IUDs seek restitution from Bayer. Allegations of negligence, wrongful conduct, breach of warranty, and even outright fraud have been leveled against Bayer by many women—or their surviving families. These lawsuits are typically seeking repayment for medical bills and future expenses, as well as pain and suffering, and many seek punitive damages against Bayer for its wrongful actions, too.

Seek Legal Help

Have you or someone you loved suffered harm as a result of Mirena IUD? If so, it’s your legal right to pursue compensation in a court of law. It’s time to hold the big drug companies accountable when their negligence or willful misconduct leaves a trail devastated lives.

Wayne Wright LLP will stand up and fight for you in court against big pharmaceutical companies, the insurance company, the hospital, or anyone else who may owe you compensation for what you and your family have been through. And don’t worry about the cost of an experienced attorney, because we work on a contingency basis, which means that you won’t pay us a dime unless we win your case. To talk about your situation and find out how we may be able to help you, call us today for a free consultation at 210-888-8888.