A Maryland mother is seeking answers after she claims her 16-year-old daughter received a birth control implant without her knowledge, alleging the device was improperly inserted and caused adverse side effects.
Nicole Lambert sent her daughter to the doctor when the teen complained of headaches and other symptoms, according to her attorney, David Ledyard.
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As it turns out, the side effects were caused by a faulty Nexplanon birth control implant that needed to be removed to avoid complications, Ledyard told Fox 2 Detroit.
Nexplanon, manufactured by Merck, is a three-year contraceptive implant that is inserted into the arm. The device releases a low dose of hormones into the bloodstream that helps to prevent pregnancy.
Ledyard told Fox 2 the implant was removed in a “semi-surgical procedure” that involved cutting it out and removing part of the girl’s tissue.
Global News reached out to Ledyard Law for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
It was a traumatizing experience, Lambert told WMAR-TV.
“I instantly started crying because just to hear that your child, anything could happen to your child and you didn’t even know what’s going on, it’s a scary feeling,” she said.
When Lambert went to confront Baltimore school officials, she says she came up empty-handed.
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“They call me for Tylenol but they don’t call me about birth control,” Lambert told the station.
“You gave my daughter this insertion so she might be suffering from that, but do they even look at that?“
According to Ledyard, nurses aren’t employed by the school district but, rather, the government.
“In Baltimore city, the nurses are not part of the school. They’re not school employees, they are health department employees,” Ledyard explained. “So the nurse said: ‘We don’t have to talk with you,’ pursuant to this law.”
Minors in Maryland have legal access to contraceptive services without parental consent, Planned Parenthood says.
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“We see this as an invasive medical procedure, and there just needs to be some more oversight. How do we know these people are properly trained or certified?” Ledyard said.
According to Island Sexual Health in British Columbia, Nexplanon and other implant-type birth control options are not yet available in Canada. However, Island Sexual Health does offer removal services for those who have received implants in other countries.
Planned Parenthood Canada lists the birth control pill, NuvaRing, IUDs, emergency contraception and condoms as its offered forms of birth control.
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