MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Conceptus, Inc. announces today that the non-incisional Essure permanent birth control procedure is now covered by Medicaid in New York, Texas, and Wisconsin, providing low-income or disabled women in these states with a safe, effective means of permanent female sterilization that does not require the general anesthesia, incisions or long recovery period of traditional tubal ligation.
"The Essure procedure is highly effective without hormones or the hassle of temporary birth control methods, and has been demonstrated to cost about half as much as traditional laparoscopic sterilization," said Mark Levie, MD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y., and author of "Office hysteroscopic sterilization compared with laparoscopic sterilization: A critical cost analysis" (Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 2005). "With the Essure procedure, women can avoid the risk and long recovery times associated with traditional tubal ligation surgery."
The Essure procedure can be performed in a variety of settings, including ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices. The shorter recovery time -- one to two days as compared with four to six days for the traditional laparoscopic procedure -- means a faster return to work or home responsibilities.
Coverage of the Essure procedure enables state Medicaid programs to provide a safe, convenient and economical choice for preventing unwanted pregnancies. This is especially important given the budget constraints most states face on an annual basis.
These states join 33 other states including the
The Essure procedure deploys a soft micro-insert into the fallopian tube through the cervix using a minimally invasive transcervical tubal access catheter. Once in place, the device is designed to elicit tissue growth in and around the micro-insert to form an occlusion or blockage in the fallopian tube. An Essure procedure does not require cutting or penetrating the abdomen and can be performed in a less costly procedure setting without general anesthesia. A woman is able to return home about 45 minutes after the procedure is completed. There is a three-month waiting period after the procedure during which women must use another form of birth control. The Essure procedure is 99.80 percent effective after four years of follow-up. The Essure procedure has been demonstrated in a small portion of the women undergoing clinical studies to be 99.74 percent effective based on five years of follow-up. Five year follow-up of all patients in clinical trials is ongoing.
Source: Conceptus, Inc.