Women Filing Lawsuits Over Mirena Side Effects

Trenton, NJThere is little doubt the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had the best of intentions when it approved the Mirena IUD birth control system in 2000. The intra uterine device (IUD) is T-shaped and, inserted directly into the uterus, works to prevent pregnancy and treat heavy menstrual bleeding for up to five years. However, many Mirena clients have experienced Mirena birth control side effects.

Some patients are launching lawsuits against the manufacturer, Bayer Pharmaceuticals. And in 2009 the FDA issued a warning letter to Bayer, noting the manufacturer's marketing and promotion of Mirena overstated the effectiveness and efficacy of the Mirena IUD and minimized potential Mirena side effects.

If that sounds familiar, Bayer was also called to the carpet by the FDA for overstating the benefits of Yasmin and Yaz when those two products were introduced. For many women suffering Mirena side effects and launching Mirena lawsuits, Bayer Mirena warnings were too little, too late.

Many women opt for the IUD out of convenience. The device releases controlled amounts of levonorgestrel that acts to prevent unwanted pregnancy and mitigate the symptoms associated with heavy menstrual bleeding for up to five years.

But there are risks, according to the FDA. Those risks can include: ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy in which the fetus grows outside the uterus); intrauterine pregnancy (a pregnancy with Mirena in place); group A streptococcal sepsis; pelvic inflammatory disease; embedment of the device in the uterine wall; and perforation of the uterine wall or cervix.

According to noted Texas lawyer Dr. Shezad Malik—also a medical doctor—many women have experienced some of the more grievous side effects associated with Mirena, including Mirena uterine perforation, and are filing lawsuits against Bayer. Malik reports that a number of lawsuits have already been filed in Superior Court in New Jersey. Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., for its part, has moved to seek designation as a Mass Tort for centralized management of the cases in Middlesex County, according to a report in Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer (11/11/12).

Malik is uniquely qualified to comment on the potential for medical products like Mirena to unleash unpleasant and sometimes dangerous adverse reactions, often without knowing that potential exists. A licensed doctor, Malik practiced medicine for two decades before switching to the legal profession—allowing him a unique perspective.

As for Mirena birth control side effects, many women have found them to be more of a nuisance than a convenience. One Mirena client who contacted LawyersandSettlements.com noted that following her decision to have the Mirena device removed due to unpleasant side effects, the device came apart during an attempt to take out the device in her doctor's office. The Illinois woman eventually underwent surgery to have the IUD removed.