Years ago, you decided that the Essure® sterilization device was a good option for preventing pregnancy and you had the coils implanted during a simple outpatient procedure. Fast forward to now, and you’re one of the unfortunate women to experience negative side effects from your Essure device — and you want it removed.
Unfortunately, removing the Essure device can lead to even further complications if it’s done incorrectly, which is why you should only seek an expert in Essure removal.
We have such an expert here at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley — Dr. Fernando Otero. Using minimally invasive surgical techniques, Dr. Otero and his team have helped many patients to successfully and safely rid themselves of the Essure devices to remedy their symptoms.
Here;s a closer look at why choosing who removes your Essure device matters.
To better understand Essure removal, it’s important to understand how the device works inside your body. When your Essure devices were implanted, a doctor placed a coil in each of your fallopian tubes, These coils encouraged scar tissue to grow up around them, effectively blocking sperm from reaching and fertilizing your eggs.
While Essure worked well (and still does) for many women, some developed negative side effects.
According to the FDA, the most common complaints are:
To remedy these symptoms, women can opt for removal of the Essure coils. Since the Essure coils integrate themselves into the tissues in your fallopian tubes, however, removing the devices is quite complicated and problems can arise, especially if the coils break during extraction, leaving fragments behind. These coils are extremely delicate, and when they’re disturbed in the wrong way, they can break into tiny pieces that are hard to locate and remove.
To ensure the complete and safe removal of your Essure device, you want to go to a specialist who understands the difficulties involved. Dr. Otero not only understands these challenges, he has surmounted them time and again, helping his patients to find relief from their Essure symptoms.
Choosing the approach for your Essure removal is the first step. After extensive imaging to locate the devices, their condition, and the extent to which they’re embedded, Dr. Otero figures out the best plan for removal.
In the best-case scenario, he can go in through your vagina with a hysteroscope and specialized tools to remove the coils.
If there’s any risk of the coils breaking or if they’re embedded in the fallopian tubes, Dr. Otero may recommend a salpingotomy, a procedure in which he cuts into your fallopian tubes laparoscopically to remove the devices. In some cases, he may have to remove the fallopian tubes in their entirety.
If the Essure devices have fragmented and involve more than just your fallopian tubes, Dr. Otero may have to remove a piece of your uterus or the entire organ, which is a hysterectomy at that point.
As you can see, removing problematic Essure coils is far from a cut-and-dried procedure, which is why it’s so important to see a surgeon who specializes in their removal.
If you want an experienced team for your Essure removal, please contact one of our offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas, to schedule an appointment.
