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Women Plan Local, National Rally Against Popular Birth Control

DENVER (CBS4) - They've come together first on Facebook and now in person, all telling the same story.

"I'm in pain … I can't sit down," said Melissa Braun, an Essure patient.

"I was implanted April 6, 63 days later I had a hysterectomy. One coil came out," said Rebekah Reisch, another Essure patient.

"I had to have a hysterectomy at 33," Essure patient, Cassandra Carr said through tears.

"I was in pain all the time," said Debra Logan, an Essure patient.

All the women are talking about Essure, a popular form of permanent birth control. In a simple office procedure a doctor implants small coils in a patient's Fallopian tubes, scar tissue forms over the coils blocking the tube and preventing pregnancy. It's advertised as easy, painless and done in the doctor's office.

Essure

"My procedure was promised 20 minutes and it was three hours … and it was horrible," Reisch explained.

There are reports of botched placement procedures, coils migrating in the abdomen, and even pregnancy.

"I was so scared of what I had read of what could happen to me and to the baby … I couldn't handle it," said Marissa Willis, an Essure patient.

"Essure hasn't just impacted you physically, it has also taken a big toll on you emotionally?" asked CBS4's Karen Leigh.

"It was horrible. I almost lost my marriage because of it," replied Leah Spencer, an Essure patient.

"It's done a lot. I wasn't ready for a hysterectomy at 37," Reisch replied through tears.

"And doctors will not believe you, that's the crazy thing," added Logan.

Each of the women are frustrated with how little help their doctors were in the face of their symptoms.

"Once you mention, 'I think Essure is my problem,' the door gets shut in your face," Spencer said.

So the women took their frustration online and found other "E-sisters." The national Facebook page is 19,000 strong.

"I love the Facebook page. I love that there is support from other women who've gone through the same thing," said Megan Schellenger, another Essure patient.

Not every woman is going through this kind of pain. Bayer makes the device and told CBS4 that about 750,000 women world-wide rely on it. Dr. Kristi Keil is among dozens of Denver-area doctors who offer Essure.

"I think it's a great procedure.  Personally, I haven't seen any problems with my patients. Patient safety is always number one," Keil told CBS4.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Essure in 2002 and reports getting 5,093 adverse reports on Essure. That's less than 1 percent of the women with the implant. Over the years, the FDA has added warnings to the product including a concern about sensitivity to nickel in 2011, and risks of chronic pain and device migration in 2013.

"Overall most women are very happy with the procedure," said Dr. Jennifer Hyer, an attending physician at Denver Health Medical Center in the OB/GYN Department.

Hyer has been offering the implant for more than 10 years. She says she's only seen a few patients have problems.

"I think it's a great product for many women, but I also accept that there are women who've had complications," Hyer told CBS4.

"So ladies, tell me what you would like to see happen to Essure?" Leigh asked the group.

"Gone. I want it removed from the market, I just don't want anybody else to be in this much pain. And I want it gone globally too," said various members of the group.

The FDA announced recently that it will hold a public meeting on Essure in September.

Libby Smith is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. If you have a story you'd like to tell CBS4 about, call 303-863-TIPS (8477) or visit the News Tips section.

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