New contraceptive procedure available
at Penobscot Bay Ob/Gyn Associates

Penobscot Bay Ob/Gyn Associates, a department of Penobscot Bay Medical Center, now offers a non-surgical, permanent form of contraception for women.

The procedure, called Essure, is an alternative to the more common sterilization of tubal ligation.

"This is a non-surgical, hormone-free, practically painless alternative," said Dr. Thomas J. O'Connor, III, the obstetrician/gynecologist at Penobscot Bay Ob/Gyn Associates who performs the procedure.

Women can undergo the procedure in 15 minutes under anesthesia as a day surgery patient at PBMC. Patients are advised to rest for 24 to 48 hours before resuming normal activity, he said.

The nonsurgical approach uses a hysteroscope -- a camera-tipped instrument -- to thread two small plugs through the vagina, cervix and uterus and into the fallopian tubes. The plugs, composed of polyester fibers and metals, cause a tissue reaction that blocks the fallopian tubes.

Essure is 99.8 percent effective in preventing pregnancy -- a rate similar to that of tubal ligation, according to the manufacturer, Conceptus Inc. of California.

Essure is FDA approved and has been used widely in other countries, though it is relatively new in the U.S. A confirmatory test is performed three months after the initial procedure. Women are advised to continue their current form of birth control, until the confirmatory test of tubal occlusion is done.

Essure is covered by most health insurance plans. For more information about Essure or other women's health issues, call Dr. Thomas O'Connor Penobscot Bay Ob/Gyn Associates at 596-8900.