Mirena IUD Maker Targeted by Lawsuits Over Injuries to Women

Sept. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- In what may be the beginning of a movement to rid the country of an allegedly dangerous contraceptive, lawsuits around the country have recently been filed against the maker of the Mirena IUD.

Sixteen cases against the IUD’s maker, Bayer HealthCare, have been filed by women around the country, and most of the cases originated in the Middlesex County, NJ, Superior Court, noted Brian Goldenfarb, a New Jersey attorney involved in the lawsuits.

One woman who was a pioneer in alerting women to the danger was Jessica Bonner, a young mother of two who says she endured six months of pain after using the IUD.

“More and more people are coming forward since I shared the article,” said Bonner, referring to a website she set up about her troubles. Through her website, which is now offline, she says she received over 10,000 complaints from women who say they endured various injuries from the contraceptive.

“I would never want anyone to suffer like I did,” she recalled. “It took a year of my life away.”

Had to Quit Her Job

Bonner says she suffered so much pain in her back, shoulder and elsewhere that she was forced to quit her job as a hair dresser. With two children under the age of three she was at wit’s end. She underwent various tests, but it was only when her blood was checked did doctors discover seven times the normal amount of silicone, she said.

“Jessica has been a real advocate for people’s rights for those who believe they have been injured,” Goldenfarb said.

Bayer was issued a warning letter by the FDA in 2009 for misleading women about the supposed benefits of the IUD and understating the device’s side effects and serious risks. According to the warning letter, Mirena sponsored promotional parties to sell the product, at which women were told that the device would help them “look and feel great.” But the FDA said it was “not aware of any evidence suggesting that women who are using Mirena for birth control look great or feel great.”

Conditions for a Lawsuit

According to Goldenfarb, women must have one of the following conditions which accompany the use of Mirena in order to file their own lawsuit: 1) the IUD must have migrated to another part of the body, 2) a hysterectomy was performed as a result of it, or 3) the IUD has perforated an organ or body part. In addition, the IUD must have been in for at least six months and then removed, generally within the last two years, depending on the statute of limitations for one’s state of residence.

Although the requirements for a lawsuit are stringent, many women report suffering of various kinds from the device. The FDA warns about Mirena’s potential problems and side effects, which include unintended pregnancy, embedment of the device into the uterine wall, perforation of the uterus, expulsion of the device, ovarian cysts, and breast cancer. It mentions that more than one out of ten users experience “adverse reactions,” including spotting, irregular bleeding, heavy bleeding, absence of menstruation, and ovarian cysts.

Women in La Grange, La Grange Park, Brookfield, Lyons, Countryside, Western Springs, Westchester, Hinsdale, Berwyn and nearby cities who are considering the Mirena IUD should call Women’s Care Center of La Grange, at 708-352-5000 for more information, or go to http://www.pregnancychoices4me.org.