Essure® - A Safe, Reliable Birth Control Option

If you decide your family is “perfect just the way it is,” then you might want to consider Essure, the newest method of permanent birth control.

“You need to tailor your contraception to what your needs are and what your beliefs are,” explains Dean OB/GYN Bruce Drummond, MD. “It’s good to understand your options.”

“It’s a great alternative,” agrees Gary Waters, MD, another Dean OB/GYN. “Many women are drawn to the idea that Essure doesn’t require any incisions or cause any scars.”

“New” Procedure is Gaining Popularity
While Essure has only been available in the United States since 2002, the procedure recently surpassed the quarter million mark worldwide.

Since this “new” procedure is quickly becoming not-so-new, many women are starting to wonder if Essure might be right for them. In general, questions come down to safety, effectiveness, and cost.

Safety
Essure is performed right in your doctor’s office in less than an hour. In fact, the procedure itself takes about 10 minutes.

“Using a special instrument that houses a light and camera, we place tiny coil inserts into the fallopian tubes,” Dr. Drummond explains. “These inserts cause inflammation and basically create scar tissue as your own tissue grows into the coils, closing off the tubes.”

Essure is significantly less invasive than its competition: tubal ligation or vasectomy. According to the doctors, safety benefits include:

• No incisions (or scars). Since the coils are inserted through a woman’s natural pathways – through the vagina, cervix, uterus, and into the fallopian tubes – no cutting is necessary. No cutting reduces the chance of accidental injury, such as poking through the uterine wall or “nicking” the colon.
• No general anesthesia. Many doctors provide a local anesthetic to minimize potential cervical pain, but women are awake and quite comfortable during the procedure. Pain is similar to or less than minor menstrual cramps.
• Quick Recovery. Most women can return to normal activities within 24 hours. In comparison, recovery time after tubal ligation is up to a week. Vasectomy is about 2-3 days for men.
• No hormones. Unlike many temporary birth control options, such as The Pill, the Essure inserts contain no hormones and work with your body – not against it.

Effectiveness
After following patients from the initial study for four years, Essure has proven slightly more effective than tubal ligation (98.82%) and vasectomy (98.87%), with a 99.80% success rate.

A confirmation test is done after three months to make sure the tubes are completely blocked.

“This follow-up test is very important,” stresses Dr. Waters. “While more than 95 percent of tubes will close successfully after three months, some women may need more time to complete the process. The confirmation test is important for creating successful outcomes and can really offer women peace of mind, too.”

Cost
The Essure procedure is covered by most insurance providers. Since the procedure is performed in your doctor’s office, your payment may be a simple co-pay. Check with your insurance company to verify your specific coverage.

The Bottom Line
It is important to note that Essure is NOT reversible, so you should be certain about your decision before requesting the procedure. However, if you’re ready, ask your doctor about Essure or learn more at www.deancare.com/essure.

High Definition Vision?
Get a Crisper, Clearer View of the World with High Def Lenses

Forget your TV…what if you could see everything with the amazing clarity and crisp lines of high definition? Now you can, with the new high-def lens technology available at Davis Duehr Dean.

“We’ve been sharing a lot of ‘Wow!’ moments with our eyeglasses customers lately,” reports Kyle Kravick, Dean/St.Mary’s Retail Manager. “The really cool thing is that high definition lenses are not a gimmick or some play on popular terminology. This is truly an advancement in vision technology. And it’s incredibly affordable.”

What’s the big deal?
Much in the same way that laser vision correction maps each individual eye and corrects tiny imperfections all your own, high definition lenses are cut precisely to provide optimal vision for your unique eye. In addition, this new technology offers other benefits:

• Your area of vision will be wider. In particular, reading area is wider and intermediate vision – commonly referred to as computer vision – is much wider (10%-30% better).
  
  
• Vision is crisper. Rather than a one-size-fits-all way of forming the lens, the high definition lenses are cut to your exact measurements, allowing for a more exact prescription anywhere you look.
  
  
• You can be a slave to fashion…or not. The clarity of your vision won’t be dependent on the style of lenses you choose. Even better, your vision will remain consistently sharp going from your day-to-day glasses to your sunglasses to your sports or athletic wrap-arounds, and so on.
  
  
• Thin is in. High Definition lenses will reduce your lens thickness by about 25 percent, regardless of the lens material. (Yes, that includes high index plastic, for those of you with heavy prescriptions.) In fact, if you have any astigmatism, lens thickness will be closer to 30 percent better.
  
  
• Anything goes. This new technology can be used on any lens material cut to any specification. Single vision or bifocals, Transitions® or polarized lenses…any glasses you are currently wearing can be improved upon.

“The biggest thing, though,” shares Kravick, “is that people can now see to their true vision potential.”

Who cares?
“While anyone who wears glasses will enjoy the improvement in their vision, people with extremes in vision will probably benefit the most from high-def lenses,” Kravick explains. For example:

• Anyone who has worn glasses all of his or her life
• Individuals with an astigmatism
• People with high “+” or high “-” prescriptions
• Someone who uses his or her vision for the same purpose all day, keeping their eyes focused on the same things at the same distance, etc.

As with any product, results can vary from patient to patient based on prescription, and this technology may not be recommended for certain prescriptions.

“Choosing a lens should be about seeing your best,” says Kravick. “It’s nice for people to have options and to know that Davis Duehr Dean will always stay a step ahead of everyone else to offer you the best possible option.”

For more information about high definition lenses, call or visit the Davis Duehr Dean Optical Store nearest you. A listing of Davis Duehr Dean Optical Stores is available online.

Flu Update

As we head into fall, you may be wondering how to best protect your family against seasonal and H1N1 (swine) flu.

Know that, with the scope of the flu spreading and changing so rapidly, Dean has put precautions in place at all of its medical locations, is following all Centers for Disease Control guidelines, and is closely monitoring the situation for the safety of its patients and staff.

For prevention guidelines, information about what you should do if you're sick and details about Dean flu shot clinics, Dean offers a comprehensive Web resource at www.deancare.com/flu. Dean also offers a Flu Vaccine Information line at (608) 250-1383 or (877) 277-3326 toll free. This number can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.