Essure Permanent Birth Control

For women who are certain their childbearing days are behind them, Essure permanent birth control is a gentler alternative to surgical tubal ligation. Unlike surgical sterilization procedures, Essure involves no incisions, general anesthesia or hormones. It is a minimally invasive procedure that may be done in your doctor’s office with a local anesthetic in about 35 minutes. Essure is permanent and not reversible.

At the start of the procedure, your doctor will insert a thin, lighted telescope-like device called a hysteroscope through your vagina and into your uterus. The hysteroscope transmits the image of your uterus onto a screen, allowing the doctor to see the uterus and the openings of the fallopian tubes during the procedure.

Flexible, coiled micro-inserts are then inserted through the cervix and placed in the fallopian tubes. During the next three months, your body forms a natural tissue barrier around the inserts to permanently occlude the fallopian tubes and prevent sperm from ever reaching an egg. During this period, you must continue using another form of birth control. After three months, your doctor will conduct an Essure confirmation test using a dye and an x-ray to ensure that the fallopian tubes are completely blocked.

The procedure must be scheduled between the end of your period and ovulation. If you are on the birth control pill, it can be scheduled any time as long as you are not bleeding.

Success Rates

Studies have shown Essure to be 99.8 percent effective after four years and 99.74 percent effective after five years.

Failure Rates

  • Failure to place both micro-inserts in first procedure (14 percent)
  • Initial tubal patency* (3.5 percent)
  • Expulsion (2.2 percent)
  • Perforation (1.8 percent)
  • Other unsatisfactory device location (0.6 percent)

*All of the patients who experienced tubal patency at three months were found to have bilateral occlusion at a repeat test performed six months after the Essure procedure.

Side Effects

  • Cramping (29.6 percent)
  • Pain (12.9 percent)
  • Nausea or vomiting (10.8 percent)
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness (8.8 percent)
  • Bleeding or spotting (6.8 percent)

Approximately 15 months after micro-insert placement, the following symptoms were reported as possibly related to the Essure micro-inserts:

  • Back pain (9.0 percent)
  • Abdominal pain (3.8 percent)
  • Dyspareunia (3.6 percent)

Alternatives

Feel free to discuss any of these alternative methods of contraception with your doctor:

  • Tubal ligation by laparoscopy
  • Male sterilization by vasectomy
  • Non-permanent methods of birth control, such as oral contraceptives, barrier methods, or intrauterine devices

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