Essure is a sterilization procedure for women who don’t wish to have any (more) children. The procedure involves inserting spring-like coils into each fallopian tube. This can be done hysteroscopically or laparoscopically. The recovery period is roughly the same for both, and the result is the same: sterilization. This occurs naturally as the fallopian tubes attack the coils and cause scar tissue to form around the foreign objects. This tissue is what ends up blocking the pathway through each tube. It sounds effortless, and primarily it is, but for women who later change their minds there can be some difficulty turning things back around.
Sure, some women who have the Essure procedure later decide they want children and desire having the procedure reversed to reopen their fallopian tubes for business. However, a lot of women who have had their Essure reversed have done so because they suffered side effects from the procedure.
Essure Side Effects
Side effects of having Essure done are initially mild. Women can expect cramping and mild discomfort
following the surgery. However, some women who have had this procedure go on to suffer debilitating side effects that weren’t part of what of they signed up for. Sure, they might be protected from pregnancy, but at what cost? Although having their Essure coils and the surrounding scar tissue removed would reignite the possibility of pregnancy if no other measures are employed to protect against it, most of the women who seek a reversal of their Essure because of side effects can’t live with the quality of life they have suffering with said side effects.
Can Essure Be Removed?
The short answer is yes. It will obviously require another surgery and that too must be performed under general anesthesia. However, the recovery procedure is usually less uncomfortable since the coils are being removed rather than inserting foreign objects into the body. The fallopian tubes are cleared out. This means not only are the coils removed, but the scar tissue they caused to develop must come with them. The whole procedure is relatively quick and shouldn’t last more than 30 to 45 minutes.
Essure Removal Doctors
As with any medical procedure, there is a large pool of doctors that women can select from to perform their surgery. In some cases, women may not feel inclined to go back to the same doctor who placed the Essure coils in their tubes just because it didn’t work out well. While this isn’t necessarily the doctor’s fault, it is understandable that it might leave a negative feeling for some women who are suffering in pain every day as a result. Many of them end up feeling they weren’t properly informed of all that could happen afterward. Sadly, many doctors aren’t even aware. If they aren’t, this may be a strong sign that they aren’t very experienced with Essure removal procedures. Thus, selecting another doctor might be the best choice anyway. Luckily, we’ve narrowed down the pool to the five best doctors in the business of removing Essure coils and helping women return to healthy, functioning lives in which they are no longer impaired by pain.
Women who are interested in having their Essure procedure reversed should seek guidance from the following resources.
Tubal-Reversal.net
This resource is a one stop shopping site for all things tubal ligation related. Women who are seeking information on reversing or removing their Essure coils have come to the right place with Tubal-Reversal.net. It houses the most information on the Internet about how Essure is placed and what the removal process involves with accuracy that readers can trust.
Drugwatch
Drugwatch is a great resource because it offers women in need of information on removing their Essure coils what they need that they might not have known about. Essure has come under fire in recent years for causing allergic reactions in women who are allergic to nickel — a key ingredient in the spring-like coils that the Essure process requires insertion of into the fallopian tubes. Women who were unaware that they were allergic to nickel or who knew of their allergy but simply didn’t know nickel was an ingredient in the Essure coils have come forward presenting loads of complaints. Lawsuits are ongoing against this product and there is strong push to pull it off the market altogether. The symptoms of a reaction to Essure include pelvic pressure, pain and cramping, breakthrough bleeding, joint pain, headaches, mood swings and more.
Health Guidance
This site thoroughly covers the process involved in undoing the Essure procedure, which involves not only removing the coils that were inserted into the fallopian tubes, but also the scar tissue that those coils caused to develop. Excising this tissue can be tricky, but Health Guidance walks would-be patients through the process to ease their fears.
North Carolina Center for Reproductive Medicine
NCCRM goes into detail about the reversal process making sure to note the use of a stent to open the tube and a scope to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be. This facility specifically aims to cater to women who have had negative side effects stemming from their Essure procedure, but they are not closed off to performing elective reversals for women who have had no issues but just want to restore fertility.
Tubal Ligation Care
TLC notes that the average cost of an Essure reversal may be around $7,000, and that outpatient facilities come recommended over hospitals for the procedure simply because it’s easier, cheaper and still safe. Women can rest assured that choosing one of the doctors outlined here will steer them in the direction they need to feel good again. No more pain, cramping, and bleeding. Instead, they’ll return to the life they had before. These doctors are also qualified to perform tubal ligations and other sterilization procedures if a woman is interested in removing the Essure coils but retaining protection against pregnancy.
In addition, women whose fallopian tubes are too damaged from the coils that warrant having them removed altogether can trust their health in the hands of these doctors. All five of them are also capable of performing complete hysterectomies on women who may request or need the procedure, though this outcome of Essure side effects is rare. This is a difficult decision that shouldn’t be made lightly and these five doctors have certainly made their patients aware that they get it and have their best interests in mind.
