Strings On Mirena Iud Cut Too Short !!!

[Coulson]

Dear Mr.Dorfman,      I had the Mirena IUD placed in 2007 after the birth of my son,becuase it seemed to be the most effective and lasted for 5 years.When I went for a follow up I was told that the Mirena was in place and it was fine.I began to get lots of infections over the years and on one occasion in 2008 I had went to the hospital for severe stomach pains.I was told that the  Mirena was upside down after the ultra sound.I contacted my OBGYN for an appointment and she did an ultra sound and said showed it's in place.I suggested taking it out,but she insistedthat I kept it in becuase it's in place and it's not causing the pain and infections.I went to a different OBGYN for a second opinion on the infections on 04/05/2010 just last week to see if she could help me.I was told she wasn't sure if it was the IUD causing my problems,but I agreed to let her pull it out to see if the infections and stomach pain goes away.She went to remove the IUD and asked me"Are you sure nobody removed it,and it's still in

there?.I told her I am positive it was still in there.I had an ultra sound done and the IUD was still there but they could'nt find the strings.The OB tried to get it out with a special tool and said it would have to be surgicaly removed.I get infections easily and am very afraid of surgery as with anyone would be.I then contacted the office of the OB that inserted th IUD to make an appointment to see if they could remove it without out having surgery done,and was scheduled to go in the next day to see if they could remove the IUD.I then got home and the phone rang it was the nurse from the office and said she spoke with the doctor.The nurse said that the very first ultra sounds the strings didn't show and I had to have it surgically removed and she didn't sound suprised .I then became very angry and said "If the doctor knew years ago that it was going to have to be surgically removed back then why wasn't I told until now? because that I would have had it removed right then.The nurse did'nt say anything at all.I thought that I would be able to have the IUD removed with no problems,but now that the string was cut too short I have to have it surgically removed.That is not what upsets me the most it's because the doctor knew it showed on the ultra sounds the strings was cut too short.I even called the manafacturer of Mirena and they instructed the doctor to cut the string a certain lenght.(some cases, though, your doctor may not be able to locate the strings. If this occurs, it is most likely due to the fact that the strings have slipped up into the cervical canal which can occur if they were cut too short(either at insertion or at the request of a woman because her partner was able to feel them during intercourse).Is this medical malpractice not telling me years ago that I would have to have surgery to remove the IUD? or even cutting the string too short? I am afraid I don't know what to beleive.Is it really in there the right way?

[Primo]

Jennifer: Believe it or not, I have had probably 200 Mirena IUD questions like yours over the past couple of years. Maybe because I became slightly famous(at least to my family) for big success we had with the Dalkon Shield IUD years ago.  Anyhow, the typical problem with the Mirena is that it gets lost, like in your case, but in many other cases, it actually perforates the uterine wall and of course must be surgically removed.  However, you situation is a common complication with any IUD.  One might argue that your doctor made a mistake by cutting the string too short but you can't prove it would not have migrated out of reach anyhow. Also, the case is just not economically viable as a medical malpractice case, of this I am sure. That is so even if the doctor's negligence is clear. He would fight it, it would cost tons of money and even more time to litigate. At the end, what is the laparoscopy surgery that you will need, in terms of money damages, worth? Simply not enough to get a lawyer interested. I know it's a big thing for you, you have a right to be angry(maybe), or at least not happy, but again as a practical matter, a dead end street. Also, to my knowledge there are no class action cases against the Mirena company and you could do it on your own. So, get the damn thing out, don't try another, and best of luck.