Grapevine doctor defends using bargain IUDs

From WFAA (TX):
Commercials tout the Mirena-brand intrauterine device as one of the easiest long-term birth control devices on the market.

That's how one North Texas woman felt about her IUD — until the day she heard from her doctor's office, Women's Integrated Healthcare in Grapevine.

"The first thing she said to me was, 'The Mirena that I had inserted a year-and-a-half previous was purchased in Canada,'" said the patient, who prefers to remain anonymous. "When she told me that, I thought, 'That's wrong; that's really wrong to do that and potentially cause harm.'"

An FDA-approved Mirena IUD in the United States costs about $700 wholesale to physicians. But on the Internet, IUDs imported from Canada can be purchased for as little as $200.

Women's Integrated Healthcare charged the patient News 8 spoke to more than $1,800 for inserting the bargain-priced Canadian product. ...more