A recent study co-led by Yale researchers in collaboration with peers at the University of California, San Diego found that hysteroscopy, a banned popular birth control method of sterilization, is not “generally harmful.”

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, first approved hysteroscopic sterilization in 2002, it was advertised as a less invasive type of permanent contraception called Essure. Initially, it was considered a turning point in birth control, but after thousands of adverse effects including pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding and the need for additional surgeries following the Essure procedure were reported, the FDA mandated a clinical trial to reassess the product’s safety. Essure was discontinued in 2018, and the study was ultimately left unfinished.

The paper detailing this current study’s findings was published on Feb. 3 in Obstetrics and Gynecology. It details that the procedure itself is not generally harmful. This research was led by Aileen Gariepy, associate

The German pharmaceutical giant Bayer has agreed to pay $1.6 billion to settle tens of thousands of United States claims related to its birth control device Essure.

Nearly 39,000 women across the U.S. had claims against Bayer after suffering health problems including severe pain, bleeding and organ damage after being implanted with the device, a contraceptive coil that is placed in the fallopian tubes. The settlement will resolve roughly 90% of these claims, Bayer said in a statement last week.

The agreement did not include an admission of wrongdoing or liability by Bayer, and plaintiffs who participate will be required to drop their claims.

“Bayer sympathizes with all women who have experienced adverse health conditions, regardless of the cause, but the company continues to stand by the science supporting the safety and efficacy of Essure,” Bayer said.

The settlement provides a coda to years of controversy that have surrounded Essure.