Paragard IUD Lawsuit
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IUD Lawsuit Maine - Paragard IUD Lawyer ME
If you or a loved one suffered injuries after using the Paragard© IUD for birth control, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the manufacturer. Some injuries may include device breakage, organ perforation, device migration, hysterectomy, and scarring. Contact Vanderhyde Law today to see if you qualify. Call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our contact form and a Maine IUD Lawyer will contact you to answer your questions. This is a free consultation. There are no legal fees unless you receive money. Operators are standing by. Call now.
IUD Lawsuit Maine - Paragard IUD Lawyer Maine
It’s been known since the beginning of the 20th century that placing a foreign body within the uterus could prevent pregnancy. For decades, researchers experimented with the best shapes and materials that would be easy to insert, highly reliable and likely to remain in place without side effects. This resulted in a huge variety of IUD designs throughout the past 100 years. But in the US today, there are only five IUD types available, all with the same T shape.
That’s not true elsewhere. In the words of an Atlantic writer, “There are IUDs shaped like balls, loops, omegas, and snakes, and ones made with steel, gold, and even anti-inflammatory drugs. In Britain, there are 22 types of IUDs available, including several short variations” to accommodate small uteruses.
IUD Lawsuit Maine
The reason America is different dates back to the 70s. In that decade, one type of copper IUD, the Dalkon Shield, cause pelvic infections and other serious side effects in many women due to its faulty design. This resulted in one of the biggest wave of lawsuits in US history. And the authorities rushed to take steps to ensure this wouldn’t happen again.
Since the existing process for testing medical devices clearly wasn’t effective, the FDA classified IUDs that used hormones or metal as drugs rather than devices. This allowed IUDs to go through the rigorous drug approval process. The authorities argued that the metal in copper IUDs acts as a drug by changing the uterine environment and lowering the chance of pregnancy. (The presence of any foreign body in the uterus is highly effective at preventing pregnancy; copper increases efficacy only slightly, from 98 to 99%.)
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The process of approving a drug is onerous and takes about twice as long as getting a device approved. Drugs that have lifesaving benefits or don’t have a valid alternative can skip some of the lengthier requirements, but this doesn’t apply to IUDs. The makers of any new IUD would have to conduct large and lengthy trials to prove safety, even if the materials they used (such as copper) had already been proved safe.
This quirk of the US system explains why IUDs that are common in Europe and elsewhere are not accessible in the US. This can have serious effects for patients with a small or unusually shaped uterus, since they may not be good candidates for any of the available US alternatives.
IUD Lawsuit Maine
Any change to loosen US requirements for testing IUDs would still have to take safety seriously. Even existing IUDs such as the ParaGard and Mirena are sometimes associated with serious side effects such as uterine perforation or the arms breaking off during removal. Some patients have even sued manufacturers, alleging faulty design and failure to warn them of all the risks. Patients have become infertile and had to undergo multiple surgeries when their IUDs became dislodged.
Although the current lawsuits are nowhere near the volume of those against the faulty Dalkon Shield, they show the necessity of providing a range of safe and well-designed IUD options.
IUD Lawsuit Maine