The Essure Procedure for Birth Control

When I recently gave birth to my last daughter via c-section I knew I didn't want anymore children. I had my heart set on 2 and only 2. It didn't matter that they were both girls either.

During my first pregnancy I didn't think it could get any worse. Until I became pregnant with my second daughter. I had just about every symptom you could possibly Google. I had nausea during my first trimester that never seemed to give me any relief. I had frequent headaches throughout the entire pregnancy. Trips to the bathroom were becoming annoying more than anything and back pain seemed to get worse with every pound I gained.

My husband had opted to go through with a Vasectomy but then later changed his mind.

It was up to me. I told him my body could not handle any more children. With our last child she had so little room to move around that her head grew deformed. I gave birth to her at 37 weeks. She weighed 8 lbs and 4 ozs. She was simply too big for my belly. The doctor is still telling us that we can reshape her head. Her neck muscles on one side are amazing while the other side they are weak and her head is just all crooked. It hurts to look at your child and think that if they just would've evaluated my situation and delivered her a little sooner we wouldn't be having this problem. As a woman with a small frame I am unable to have children vaginally. Especially with an 8 lb 4 oz baby.

My first c-section was somewhat bearable. My second, not so much. I got zero sleep in and out of the hospital and took my pain medication religiously. I didn't even get up out of the bed to try to walk along the halls like they suggest you do in the hospital. I can't explain the amount of pain I was in. I even tried my best to breastfeed and believe I could've done it had I not been in so much pain.

C-sections are what I get to look forward to if I want more children. It wasn't just an emotional choice but a financial choice as well to decide that 2 was enough.

I couldn't go forth with a tubal. The hospital I delivered at is Catholic and would require I recover and then go to day surgery to get the tubal. I didn't want to entertain the idea of being cut open once again.

Birth control pills have so many side effects. I hated taking it anyhow. I wanted something more permanent as well.

Condoms? Who wants to use those when you are 100% monogamous with your partner? You want the most physical, intimate contact you can possible have.

IUDs can cause complications as well and some women have still gotten pregnant while having them. Personally with the Paraguard I got constant yeast infections. A few other women have had an IUD puncture their uterus which can cause major complications including internal bleeding.

That's why I chose Essure. I read the many reviews on it, including all the negatives. I was leery on getting the procedure myself.

I thought about every possible birth control out there and decided that with everything there is a risk. Why should I be afraid to take this one yet I never before was afraid to take birth control pills?

The day before the procedure the nurse called me in a pain medicine and an anti-anxiety pill. I took both 1 and a half hour before the procedure. I showed up to the office 30 minutes before my appointment so they could give me a shot to help relax my cervix.

The procedure itself took 7 minutes. I watched them perform it on the screen and had a nurse standing by me taking my blood pressure periodically. It hurt. I won't lie. About as much as getting an IUD put in.

By the time I left the office my pain rating was a 3. It's been less than a week later and I feel no pain. I'm feeling confident that this procedure was the best choice for me and my family. I'm happy that even right after the procedure I could go on about my daily activities and could hold my 7-week-old daughter.

So, what's Essure?

It is a permanent birth control procedure in which two coils are placed into your fallopian tubes. Around 3 months scar tissue builds around these coils in which both fallopian tubes are blocked off. The doctor will do a dye test to ensure both tubes are in fact blocked off so no sperm can reach the eggs. It is without hormones unlike a lot of other birth control methods.

There is no cutting/no surgery involved. The doctor inserts a vaginal spectrum (like the ones used when going in for a pap smear) and does the procedure through your cervix.

Essure is also nonreversible. It is confirmed to be 99.74% effective as stated by the website and when I asked my doctor about it he said with 1 year he's done over 100 procedures and didn't have any complications with any of his patients. He said there has been no reported pregnancies either.

This is my experience with the Essure procedure and I am completely satisfied with it. If you'd like to check out their website and where I received all the facts on top of my own experience please go to:

http://essure.com/Home/Understanding/WhatisEssure/tabid/55/Default.aspx