#85 — Essure Dangers: Permanent Birth Control Pain ** October 7, 2015
Host // Lisa Bloomquist

Essure is a kind of non-surgical sterilization that was approved by the FDA in 2002. Since then, three-quarters of a million women have signed up. We’re talking about the insertion of metal coils inside the fallopian tubes, which is supposed to prevent hookups between egg and sperm.

A one-time, hassle-free procedure. Modern technology has surely improved upon the IUD of yore, right?

It sounds simple enough.

So, why are thousands of women complaining of:

• • debilitating pain
  • weight gain, hair loss
  • depression, brain fog, fatigue
  • flu-like symptoms
  • digestive disorders
  • occluded fallopian tubes
  • unintended pregnancies
  • did we mention the pain?

These thousands of women are joined by consumer activist extraordinaire, Erin Brokovich who set up the Essure Procedure.net website to encourage more women to come forward and share their stories. The legal system isn’t open to these women because of something called “federal preemption” of class III medical devices. But these women aren’t taking this lying down. They’re making so much noise, challenging manufacturer Bayer AG, that the FDA is taking another look.

Lisa Saenz is a 46 year-old mother of 4 daughters and 2 grand children. She is a licensed Social Worker and currently works as a Crisis Intervention Social Worker with high risk patients addicted to opiates. Her background includes 23 years as a patient advocate for the mentally ill. As a victim of these awful devices, she joined and helped promote the Essure Problems Facebook page. This led to her current role as a passionate patient advocate for women’s health and reproductive safety.

Lisa Bloomquist is a patient advocate who was injured by Cipro in 2011. She runs Floxie Hope, a fluoroquinolone toxicity advocacy site, and manages The Fluoroquinolone Wall of Pain. Lisa is a guest blogger for Hormones Matter and Collective Evolution, and hosts The Floxie Hope Podcast. Lisa has vowed to continue to screaming about the dangers of fluoroquinolone antibiotics until those in the medical professions start paying attention to their Hippocratic Oath, until proper informed consent is established for administration of these drugs, and until physicians stop giving them to children. Lisa is a Colorado native who enjoys the mountains, Pilates, and her cat. She has a BA in Economics from Colorado State University and a Masters in Public Administration from University of Colorado, Denver.