At the heart of it all is something both frustratingly murky and devastatingly clear: Women self-report any number of different symptoms that are believed to be caused by their implants, but there is no official medical term or definition. They have to just call it “breast implant illness.” Many doctors, citing a lack of scientific proof, don’t believe the condition even exists. They rarely warn their patients about it in advance. Insurers don’t acknowledge it at all.

And yet, there is evidence to suggest that breast implant illness might actually be an autoimmune disorder caused by implants.