Removing Essure Coils
From January 2008 to January 2014, we performed one hundred and twenty-nine (129) tubal surgeries to correct Essure and Adiana sterilization. Of the 129 women who sought treatment from our center, one hundred and twenty-five (125) had tubal blockage from Essure sterilization and four (4) had blockage from Adiana sterilization.
Can you remove Essure devices?
Removing Essure Coils
Of the 125 patients who came for Essure removal, 89 requested Essure reversal to allow them to become pregnant and 36 requested Essure removal because of Essure side effects. All surgeries were performed as outpatient procedures at our specialty center.
No immediate or delayed surgical complications occurred in either our Essure or Adiana surgery patients and most patients reported improvement in their symptoms after Essure removal surgery.
Essure side effects
Most women who have Essure will not experience side-effects; however, some women will experience symptoms which will not resolve. Since Essure sterilization was approved in 2002 there has been a steady increase in the number of women reporting problems after their procedures. The reported side effects are numerous but mostly involve uterine cramping, pelvic pain, pelvic pressure, and abnormal bleeding after the Essure coils have been inserted.
A few women will have more generalized symptoms of joint aches, skin rash, fatigue, decreased libido, and regret.
Often women are told by their health care providers the Essure coils cannot be removed and a hysterectomy is required to treat their symptoms.
Our experience and the experience of 125 of our patients demonstrates Essure coils can be successfully removed during outpatient surgery with minimal risks and without having a hysterectomy.
Can removing Essure help?
If your symptoms started soon after Essure and do not resolve within several weeks then there is a greater chance removal of the Essure coils will improve the symptoms you are experiencing.
We encourage women who are experiencing symptoms to be evaluated by their doctors for other possible causes before considering surgery to remove Essure devices. If other causes cannot be determined then it is reasonable to consider Essure coil removal.
Treatment for Essure problems
For patients who want their Essure coils removed we offer two surgical procedures:
• Essure removal and tubal occlusion (leaving ends separated)
• Essure removal and tubal anastomois (rejoin the tubes)
Each surgery is performed as an outpatient surgery using a small incision made just above the pubic hair line.
Removing Essure coils: Our recommendations
For patients who are having symptoms from Essure, want their coils removed, and who do not wish to become pregnant, we recommend Essure removal and tubal occlusion.
Essure Coils After Removal
This procedure takes 30 to 45 minutes and is performed under general anesthesia. An opening is made into each fallopian tube immediately over the Essure coils. The coils are then removed and care is taken to remove the coils intact.
Each end of the opening created in the tube is then closed (occluded).
The closed ends are left minimally separated in the area where the coils were removed to decrease the possibility of pregnancy.
If you are seeking Essure removal because of pain and cramping then we recommend Essure removal alone and tubal occlusion.
Essure removal and tubal occlusion will help the majority of women who are having Essure related problems.
Removing Essure Coils: Should Tubes Be Rejoined?
Some of our patients have localized symptoms of pain and cramping but also have more generalized symptoms. Many of these patients strongly desire to restore their tubal anatomy to normal after the coils are removed. For these patients we will perform an Essure removal and then a microsurgical tubal anastomosis.
Although pregnancy is not likely after both removing the Essure coils and rejoining the tubes, we caution patients they may be at increased risk of pregnancy with this procedure and, should pregnancy occur, they will be at increased risk for ectopic (tubal pregnancy).
Removing Essure devices: Is pregnancy your goal?
If pregnancy is desired then we recommend Essure reversal utilizing a tubouterine implantation procedure to provide both the best chance of pregnancy and the lowest risk of tubal pregnancy.
Incision After Essure Removal
For more information on Essure reversal: Essure Reversal Surgery: Statistics Update
Essure Problems: We Can Help
Many women have been told they need to have a hysterectomy to treat Essure related symptoms.
Although a hysterectomy may help with Essure side effects, a hysterectomy is an overly aggressive treatment for Essure problems and has greater risks of complications.
For more information about the cost of these Essure removal procedures, please visit: Tubal reversal costs
Women who have additional questions about surgery at our center to remove or reverse Essure are encouraged to call (919) 968-4656 to speak with a knoweledgable staff member.
