Some women who have the Essure procedure will experience side effects.
The reported side effects are numerous but are primarily pain, cramping, pelvic pressure, and abnormal bleeding.
Some women will have more generalized symptoms of joint aches, fatigue, decreased libido, and regret.
Removing the Essure coils is possible and women who experience symptoms after Essure that will not resolve will often report improvement after the coils have been removed.
Will Essure Removal Help?
If your symptoms started soon after the Essure procedure and will not resolve then there is a greater chance Essure coil removal will improve the abnormal symptoms.
We encourage our patients to be evaluated by their doctors for other possible causes for their symptoms before considering surgery to remove Essure devices.
Once other causes have been ruled out then it is reasonable to consider Essure coil removal.
For patients who want their Essure coils removed we offer three surgical procedures:
• Essure coil removal
• Essure coil removal and tubal restoration
• Essure coil removal and tubouterine implantation
Each Essure removal procedure is outpatient and performed through a 3 inch incision made just above the pubic hair line.
Essure Coil Removal: How Is it done?
For patients who want their coils removed and who do not wish to become pregnant, we recommend Essure coil removal and tubal occlusion.
The procedure is about 30 to 45 minutes. An opening is made into each tube in the area where the Essure coils are located. The coils are then removed and care is taken to remove the coils intact.
Each end of the opening created in the tube is then closed (occluded). The closed ends are left minimally separated in the area where the coils were removed to decrease the possibility of pregnancy.
If you are seeking Essure coil removal because of pain and cramping then we recommend Essure coil removal alone and tubal occlusion.
Removing Essure Coils: Should Tubes Be Restored?
Some of our patients have localized symptoms of pain and cramping as well as more generalized symptoms. Many of these patients want to restore their tubal anatomy to normal after the coils are removed. For these patients we will perform an Essure coil removal and then a microsurgical tubal reversal (restoration of normal tubal anatomy).
We do caution patients they may be at increased risk of pregnancy with this procedure and, should pregnancy occur, they will be at increased risk for ectopic (tubal pregnancy).
Removing Essure Devices: Do You Want To Become Pregnant?
If pregnancy is desired then we recommend an Essure reversal with a tubouterine implantation procedure to provide both the best chance of pregnancy and the lowest risk of tubal pregnancy.
We have demonstrated a 29% chance of pregnancy success after Essure reversal and none of our patients have reported an ectopic pregnancy. The chance of pregnancy success after Essure reversal is covered in greater detail under Essure Reversal.
Surgery To Remove Essure
Essure does not have to be permanent and the Essure coils can be removed.
Many women have been told they need to have a salpingectomy procedure (removal of the tubes) or a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus).
Hysterectomy is an overly aggressive treatment for abnormal symptoms after Essure and has substantial risks of surgical complications. Removal of the fallopian tubes is also unnecessary and risks fracturing the coils and leaving significant portions of the coils in the uterine muscle.
For more information about the cost of these procedures, please visit Tubal Reversal Cost.
If you have any questions about Essure removal or reversal then please call and speak with one of our nurses for a free Essure removal/Essure reversal consultation (919) 968-4656.
Readers are also welcome to ask Dr. Monteith questions by submitting them through our Ask The Doctor section of our website.
