Birth control Essure - Permanent solution

I happened across a topic that might be of interest to some.  It’s in regards to birth control, something I haven’t had to worry about in 18 years.  I chose to have a tubal ligation, ok maybe chose is too soft of a word.  I was forced into it by my Mom and Husband.  Neither of them felt I should have any more children.  True, 5 was plenty I just can’t help but wonder if maybe things would have been different if I’d have had number 6.  I’m sure I’d truly be in the poor house by now!  But enough about me.

You came here to learn about the relatively new birth control Essure.  It’s only been on the market for a few years now, but seems to be getting more press. The claim is that it is totally hormone free.  Totally non-reversible, but 99.7% effective.  I guess the only 100% would be to have all your girly parts taken out.

How it works - There are these little coils that are inserted into your fallopian tubes, one on each side of your body. This procedure is done in the Doctors office, with no anesthetic. Apparently there is only mild cramping and possible nausea as a temporary side effect to the procedure.

What happens is the coils are inserted, similar to stints that are used in heart surgery, the body then ‘grows‘ around the coils in effect blocking the fallopian tube. The sperm cannot pass through the tube to fertilize the egg. After 3 months you go back to the office and have an x-ray type of procedure to make sure it ‘took’.

Until that time you will need to use another form of birth control. You will be able to do the usual things you do within 24 hours of having this done.

The claim is that is cannot be reversed. Like Tubal Ligation, some reverse operations are possible as are vasectomy’s. So it is one of the decisions that once is done, there are no do over’s!

The cost is covered by most insurance companies and usually costs no more that an office visit or co-pay. Check with your insurance provider to make sure they cover it.

The benefits to this - There are no hormones that are taken on a daily basis such as with the pill or the ring.  I can’t tell you how many people I’ve known who got pregnant on the ‘Depo’.   I’ve only known 1 person to get pregnant from the implant.  The Mirena is an IUD or Intra Uterine Device, which means it doesn’t stop the egg from becoming fertilized, but does stop pregnancy from occurring.

Since Essure contains no hormones weight gain should not be an issue.

I wanted my husband to get a vasectomy but he told me no one was coming near his ‘winkie dog’ with a knife.  I told him it would be so much easier for him to get it done.  In on Friday and back to work by Monday.  Snip-snip and it was over!  Just keep a hold of that bag of ice and he’d be good to go.

So my appointment was made.

The other benefit seems to be less invasive than a Tubal Ligation. 

With that you are put under a general anesthetic (knocked out cold!) your body is filled with gas so the Doctor can see what he is doing. Then he cuts you open and invites his friends in to play football inside your belly..  Ok, no that really doesn’t happen, but when it’s over with it sure feels like it.  I swear I still can hear his watch ticking!

Maybe I’m just a sissy when it comes to stuff like that, but dang it hurt!  Mine were cut, tied and burned.  It is going to take an act of Congress to make me able to have kids.  It does take a few days to recover from this surgery, so don’t plan on having this done on Friday and go water skiing on Saturday, cause it ain’t gonna happen!

The best part for your spouse?  When he’s outside washing the car and you feel in need of a little company, so you hobble out there all bent over because you can‘t stand straight up, looking at the ground feeling so entirely miserable.  He decides at that time to make jokes.  Why?  Because he happens to think it’s funny to hear you whine and say “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts to laugh”.  So he makes more jokes and before long you are trying so hard not to laugh, and then the tears are dripping on the ground.  You might even attempt to start digging through your pockets in search of a tissue because now your nose is running. 

The next thing you know the neighborhood minister shows up in your back yard and looks from you to your husband with serious confusion.  You are mortified, you can’t stand straight, snot is dripping from your nose, your hair is hanging in your face, you stomach hurts and there are tears running out of your face.  Yet, you are doing your best to try not to giggle.  So you do the next best thing, hobble in the house and let your husband explain what is going on.

Oh heck yeah, I wanna do that twice a week!  Not.  I wish they had the Essure to offer me when I was being forced to stop having children.  Ok, so I am glad that I did, my body couldn’t handle any more.  Having babies can affect your body a lot, your bones can get weaker and if you don’t get the proper dental care your teeth can go bad.  Not only that, if you have gobs of kids who is going to feed them?  Kids cannot live on love alone.

Now comes the hard part, how to find a Doctor who can perform this.  Be aware that there may be Doctors who want to experiment on you.  Do your homework, find a reputable Doctor who has taken at least a class in this.  If you have a Doctor who tells you that you will never have a period again, RUN.  This is not something that stops your period, only a Hysterectomy will do that. 

I have found the Essure site for you, check it out.  If it your wish to no longer have children (BE POSITIVE) then Essure just may be the choice for you!  The site also has a link to find a trained Doctor.