Pawtucket woman speaks out against popular form of birth control
By Bianca Buono
@BBuonoABC6
A Pawtucket woman is speaking out against a popular birth control device. It’s called Essure and it’s a permanent form of birth control.
Thirty-one-year-old Jessica Gomes of Pawtucket had her fourth and last child in 2012.
"I was supposed to get my tubes tied. I was ready, going to get it the next morning but they told me I couldn’t because I had too much scar tissue. So that’s when they brought up the Essure,” said Jessica Gomes of Pawtucket.
It’s a non-surgical permanent form of birth control where doctors insert coils into a woman’s fallopian tubes.
"No hospital stay and I’ll be back to normal the next day. So it was the best safe alternative to getting my tubes tied,” Gomes said.
But a year later, Gomes started experiencing debilitating symptoms and had no idea why.
"Pains throughout my whole body started happening, migraines started getting worse,” said Gomes.
In 2015, the side effects reached their peak when Gomes started uncontrollably gaining weight in her stomach.
"I literally looked like I was nine months pregnant. I had people asking me, ‘Oh when are you due?’” Gomes explained.
That’s when she came across a Facebook group called “Essure Problems,” featuring more than 27,000 women, experiencing the exact same symptoms. The one thing they all had in common? Essure.
Bayer, the company that markets Essure, has defended the product. They say it’s a highly effective method of permanent birth control.
Gomes went back to the doctor and was told the only way to remove the device was with a full hysterectomy. She had the surgery a few weeks ago and is feeling better, but is fearful that the device is still on the market.
"I hope they recall it. I want them to so that nobody else gets implanted with this device. Nobody else has to suffer,” said Gomes.
The FDA has received thousands of complaints about the device and launched a formal investigation last year. ABC6 reached out to them Thursday and they said they are expecting to finish that review and release their results by the end of this month.
© WLNE-TV 2016
