Thursday, October 18, 2012
Essure—Laura Scott Talks to Dr. Carrie Panoff about the Non-surgical Alternative to Tubal Ligation
I was invited by the public relations team representing Essure, a non-surgical, hormone- free permanent birth control procedure, to do a Q&A with Dr. Carrie Panoff, an OB/GYN in Rockland County, New York who has been doing this procedure for four years. Here's a summary our conversation:
Q: What do your patients see as the benefits of this procedure?
A: It's hormone and surgery-free and no recovery time or incision
risk. It's a five or ten minute procedure.
Q: Are any medications offered or recommended for discomfort during or after the procedure?
A: I use Motrin 24 hours before the procedure and Motrin during the procedure.
Q: In your experience has there been any instance where a pregnancy occurred after this procedure?
A: No. Three months after the procedure we perform a test that confirms the blockage.
Q: Which patients are the best candidates for this procedure?
A: Any woman is a candidate.
Q: Do you have any reservations about perform this procedure on a childless woman under the age of 30? If so, how do you handle patients who fall under this category?
A: Patients under 30 years old have a tendency to change their mind so I may give them other options. They have the right to make the decision but I would have to be adequately convinced that have had this decision for a long time and have evaluated all of the options.
Q: Have any of your childless patients changed their mind after having the procedure?
A: No.
To get more information about Essure, visit the FAQ page at http://www.essure.com/what-is-essure/common-questions. Click at the top right-hand side of the page to find doctors who perform this procedure in your area.
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4 comments:
Thanks for keeping a great blog =)
I had my tubes tied last year (when I turned 30) and looked into the Essure procedure beforehand, I ended up having my tubes tied the "old fashinoed way" though, since it seemed quite a few women had had bad experiences with Essure, aka really painful periods, lots of scar tissue, abdominal pains and cramps and nickel allergy (some of the Essure products contains nickel... Not much, but still)
So, just to say that it's a good idea to look into the sideeffects first, if one is considering this procedure. I talked with a bunch of people at the childfree30plus community on Livejournal about it, and well, decided that the traditional merthod was better, though it of course have the anaesthesia and so on.
Anyways, I LOVE that you mention the Essure, since it's good with alternatives for those who are not fond of the traditional way! =)
And thank you, thank you for keeping this blog!
Arsenica, thanks for your post, and letting us know about some of the side effects. Looks like you did the research and made the best choice for yourself!
I invite those who had the Essure procedure to post here too and let us know what their experience has been.
I had the Essure procedure done last year. Very simple, and I certainly haven't regretted it! I am 34 and child-free.
I wrote about why I made the decision I did, a month before having it done (Free Ovaries) and again in March this year as a follow-up (Baby-Proofed).
xx Dee
I had Essure placed in April 2013 because I thought it was a great alternative to surgical sterilization. Two months later I was having surgery to remove the coils, as I had developed debilitating pelvic pain and constant bleeding. The coils were removed laparoscopically and incidentally the right coil broke during removal. My doctor swore up and down that all pieces were removed. However, later in the year the pain returned with a vengeance. My immune system tanked and I started getting any and every virus going around, plus was diagnosed with EBV and CMV, which causes chronic fatigue among other things. After trying many alternate treatments (steroids, round after round of antibiotics, hormones, viral suppression meds), we finally decided on a hysterectomy. I had everything removed except for my ovaries. I had an MRI with contrast done right before surgery, and wouldn't you know it... there were metal fragments embedded in my uterus!!! I'm almost 5 months post surgery now, and my pelvic pain is down by about 80-90%. My immune system is getting better, but I'm still fatigued and have worsening joint pain. I honestly wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy.
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