Millions of women choose Mirena IUD for birth control because it requires no surgical procedure, and you do not have to remember to take it every day like you do with the pill.
But thousands of women nationwide sued Bayer Pharmaceuticals over Mirena. The first Mirena lawsuits claimed the birth control device perforated organs, caused ectopic pregnancy and migrated out of the uterus.
The Mirena intrauterine device (IUD) is a T-shaped birth control product placed into the uterus. IUD prevents pregnancy by slowly releasing a hormone that helps prevent egg fertilization by thickening cervical mucus while also thinning the uterine lining and partially suppressing ovulation.
Recent lawsuits blame Mirena for pressure buildup in the skull called pseudotumor cerebri or intracranial hypertension (PTC).
Many women with the Mirena device implanted say they experienced odd and troubling side effects like blindness and severe pain. PTC symptoms include:
- Severe headache that may start behind the eyes and get worse with eye movement
- A whooshing or ringing in the ears that pulses with your heartbeat
- Dizziness
- Dim or blurry vision
- Seeing flashes of light
- Difficulty looking to the side
- Brief blindness that only lasts for short moments
- Double vision
- Nausea and vomiting
- Shoulder, neck, and back pain
- Migraine headaches
The lawsuits accuse Bayer of selling a dangerous product and that they hid the risk of complications. Women who have suffered PTC say Bayer, knew or should have known that use of Mirena causes an increased risk for women to develop PTC, but failed to tell the medical community and their patients about these increased risks. Women affected by the dangerous side effects of Mirena say they would not have used the device had they known of these risks.
Mirena IUD Lawsuit Status
Mirena lawsuits are categorized into two federal multidistrict litigations (MDLs). Both are in the Southern District of New York and are still ongoing. Also, there is an active multicounty litigation in New Jersey.
New York MDL 2767: Pseudotumor Cerebri or Intracranial Hypertension
660 lawsuits were pending in this MDL as of September 2018. These lawsuits blame Mirena for injury pseudotumor cerebri or intracranial hypertension (PTC).
New York MDL 2434: Mirena Migration and Organ Perforation
These lawsuits claimed migration and organ perforation. The judge dismissed 1,230 cases in 2016. Lawyers for the plaintiffs appealed the dismissal. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal in October 2017. The last were resolved by mid-September 2018.
New Jersey MCL 297: IUD Injuries
Mirena lawsuits claim the device moved out of place and caused injuries. The judge consolidated these cases in multicounty litigation in New Jersey Superior Court Bergen County. As of July 2018, there were over 1,800 active cases.
Mirena Lawsuit Examples
JOHNSON V. BAYER
Desaree Nicole Lee Johnson sued Bayer after her device moved and cut her uterus. She accused Bayer of knowingly releasing a defective and unsafe product. She needed surgery to remove it. Now, Johnson may be infertile.
WILLIAMS V. BAYER
Melody Williams accused Bayer of failing to warn consumers of dangerous Mirena side effects. Williams experienced abdominal cramping and pain less than a year after receiving Mirena. During a second surgery to remove the device, doctors found that the device had “migrated through the opening of the plaintiff’s right fallopian tube.” Williams suffered from pain, infection and had to undergo several procedures.
EVERETT-CAREY V. BAYER
Katrina Everett-Carey sued Bayer after doctors diagnosed her with pseudotumor cerebri. Shortly after receiving Mirena, she experienced blurred vision and intense headaches.
“Defendants failed to adequately and properly test the Mirena both before and after placing it on the market,” the lawsuit said.
