Essure is a minimally invasive form of female sterilization that was developed and brought to market by Conceptus, a subsidiary of Bayer AG.

It has been legal in the U.S. since the FDA approved Essure in November 2002.

Soon after Essure hit the market, women who had had the device implanted started to complain of pain and unintended pregnancies. To date, manufacturer Bayer has faced more than 17,000 lawsuits related to Essure.

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