Thousands of women and several peer-reviewed medical studies have reported broken Paragard arms perforating organs requiring IUD arm removal surgery. If you or a loved one had a Paragard IUD® and were injured, fill out the form for a FREE Paragard lawsuit claim review!
About the Paragard® IUD
Paragard IUD is an intrauterine device (IUD) that is used by women for long-term birth control. The Paragard is manufactured by Teva Pharmaceuticals and has been around since the late 1980s. The Paragard IUD device has a specially designed copper coil connected to a plastic base. The device is implanted in a women’s uterine cavity.
Once inside the body, the copper coil on the Paragard IUD slowly dissolves over 10 years. The release of small amounts of copper particles effectively blocks fertilization by preventing sperm from reaching the egg. The Paragard IUD has proven very effective at birth control, but the device has been plagued by various problems over the years.
Paragard® IUD Fractures During Removal
Like all IUD devices, the Paragard IUD is designed to be removable from the woman’s body at any time. The Paragard IUD is supposed to remain fully intact during usage and the removal process. It has recently been discovered, however, that the Paragard IUD has a design defect that causes the device to fracture inside the woman’s body during removal.
The Paragard IUD device has a special removal thread that hangs down from the base of the device into the woman’s vagina. When it is time to remove the Paragard, the doctor is supposed to locate this thread and simply pull the device out. The base of the Paragard device has two T-shaped arms which hold the device in place. These arms are made of a flexible type of plastic that is supposed to bend upwards to enable the device to be pulled out through the cervix.
In many cases, however, the flexible plastic in the arms at the base of the Paragard appears to get brittle and hard after years inside the body. As a result, the arms do not flex upward like they are supposed to when doctors attempt to remove the IUD. When this happens on or both of the plastic arms of the Paragard IUD often fracture and break off into fragments inside the woman’s body.
What Injuries Do Fractured Paragard® IUDs Cause?
When the Paragard IUD fractures during removal, the fragmented arms of the device that break off inside the woman’s body can cause various internal injuries. The fragments of the Paragard arms usually end up embedded in the uterine wall, which can cause extreme and chronic pain. In many cases, the arm fragments eventually puncture through the wall of the uterus and end up impacting other organs. This can cause several very serious health problems including:
- Chronic abdominal pain
- Vaginal bleeding
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
- Infection
- Infertility
What Are the Treatment Options for Fractured Paragard® IUDs?
Once the arms of the Paragard IUD break off inside the woman’s body it can be extremely difficult to safely remove them. The first option is to attempt to locate and remove the fragments with a hysteroscopy procedure. This involves the insertion of a small endoscopic device with a camera through the cervix and into the uterine cavity in the hopes of removing the broken pieces of the Paragard. However, if the fragmented pieces have become embedded in the uterine wall already, hysteroscopic removal will usually not be possible.
The only other options for removal of fragmented Paragard pieces are: (a) surgically opening the uterine cavity (similar to a C-section), or (b) performing a hysterectomy (which will leave the woman permanently infertile).
The Law Office of Floyd Chapman, PLLC is associated with major law firms in the mass tort and medical device areas to litigate your claim. Call The Law Office of Floyd Chapman, PLLC at 650-402-0074 or complete the inquiry form.
Paragard IUD is an intrauterine device (IUD) that is used by women for long-term birth control. The Paragard is manufactured by Teva Pharmaceuticals and has been around since the late 1980s. The Paragard IUD device has a specially designed copper coil connected to a plastic base. The device is implanted in a women’s uterine cavity.
Once inside the body, the copper coil on the Paragard IUD slowly dissolves over 10 years. The release of small amounts of copper particles effectively blocks fertilization by preventing sperm from reaching the egg. The Paragard IUD has proven very effective at birth control, but the device has been plagued by various problems over the years.
The Law Office of Floyd Chapman, PLLC is associated with major law firms in the mass tort and medical device areas to litigate your claim. Call The Law Office of Floyd Chapman, PLLC at 650-402-0074 or complete the inquiry form.