little plastic ring
master of my uterus
no babies for me
Yes, that’s a haiku, what can I say; I really love my Nuva Ring. I spend a lot of time at work counseling women on their birth control options, and I’ve noticed that sometimes when women request the pill, it’s with a sigh and a “Well I’ll just try to set my phone alarm or do it when I get up in the morning,” after telling me how last time they just couldn’t remember to take it. You know, I can’t take pills either. I’m forgetful, and worse, when I do remember sometimes I’m just too lazy to get up and go to the other room to get them. Luckily I discovered the Nuva Ring. We’ve all seen the commercial with the annoyingly catchy jingle (Oh oh, oh oh oh oh!), but it’s still something a lot of women aren’t very familiar with.
The gist: It’s a plastic ring, you place it at the top of the vagina by your cervix, where it releases hormones over the course of 3 weeks and prevents ovulation, just like the birth control pill does. The Nuva Ring site does a nice job of explaining how to insert it: “After washing and drying your hands, remove NuvaRing from the foil pouch. Holding NuvaRing between your thumb and index finger, press the sides together. Insert NuvaRing while lying down, squatting, or standing with one leg up – whatever is most comfortable for you. Gently push the folded ring into your vagina. The exact position of NuvaRing is not important for it to be effective. If you feel discomfort, NuvaRing is probably not inserted back far enough into the vagina. Use your finger to gently push the NuvaRing farther into your vagina. Rest assured, NuvaRing cannot be pushed too far up or get lost in your body. In fact, NuvaRing cannot go farther than the cervix. Once inserted, keep NuvaRing in place for three weeks in a row.” To remove, just reach up with your finger, hook it around the edge of the ring, and pull it right out. After seven days (just like your seven days of placebo pills in your pill pack), put a new one in.
There is nothing else quite like the Ring on the market yet, so I get some strange looks when I tell women about it. “Oh … no.” “It just sits there inside you?” “I feel weird having some foreign object inside of me.” Fair enough! Yes, it’s a plastic ring; yes, you have to keep it inside your vagina; yes, it stays there for at least three weeks. It’s a little weird. But I promise you don’t feel it when it’s there, and usually your partners can’t feel it (and if they can, it’s not ever-present, and it’s not uncomfortable). It’s the most convenient method that has combined hormones, which are best for keeping your periods regular (unlike the Depo shot or the Mirena IUD which, while more long-term, alter or end your period while in use). Although you can leave it in for a full four weeks if you like, and insert a new ring right away, allowing you to skip your period if that’s more your style. (Always ok this with your doctor first.)
To recap:
- You deal with it twice a month, once to insert, once to remove.
- You don’t have to have a period if you don’t want to.
- It doesn’t interrupt sex.
- It’s super-comfortable.
Caveats:
- Obviously, it doesn’t protect you against STIs.
- After intercourse, please check to make sure the ring is still in place afterwards! Because you can’t feel it when it’s in place, you may not notice right away if it’s been pulled out.
Have you guys ever tried it? What was your experience?
You also might find these posts interesting:
- Mirena, the Intrauterine Contraceptive: A Testimonial
- Paragard, the Interuterine Contraceptive: A Testimonial
I too used the Nuva Ring before beginning my long-term relationship with Mirena, and it was super comfortable and I couldn’t feel it while it was inside.
One tip I’ve used, and told patients about, is to take the tampon out of an applicator, fold the Ring in half, tuck it into the tampon applicator and push it up just like a tampon. Some people are a wee bit freaked out of touching their insides, so this can be a nice alternative :)
I tried it too, and I couldn’t feel it, but my partner could. Which was a little freaky in itself… -e
I started the Nuva Ring a few months ago. The biggest side effect I’ve had seems to be a dry vagina (No, er, lubrication happening at all), and a decrease in my libido (which I didn’t have a lot of to begin with).
When I first started it, I skipped my period for a month, and my latest period has lasted 12 so far (I think it’s going away now).
I like it overall, and it has made me much more aware of how my vagina changes shape during my cycle (my biggest worry is that it will fall out while I’m on the toilet, which seemed possible on a few days).
It’s definitely preferred compared to taking a pill, for me. The only downsides are the dryness and decreased libido.
*er, my latest period has lasted 12 DAYS. Not months. <_<
LOVE the nuvaring. LOVE. My body hates birth control (every pill i tried gave me awful anxiety and panic attacks and nausea, condoms gave me vaginal and urinary tract infections, paragard IUD gave me dehibilitating cramps, a super long period, and a fever every month. The nuvaring did none of these things. It took away my cramps completely, helped my acne clear up, and i could never feel it in me! My husband couldn’t feel it during intercourse, only if he was using his fingers in me, so it didn’t affect sex at all. The main side effect I had was getting a vaginal infection one time from it, but then my body got used to it. Seriously, best birth control method I’ve ever used.
I love the Nuva Ring. I actually take mine out for sex though which is fine. The only noticable side effect was decreased libido and white discharge. Other than that I love it as the pill made me severly depressed whereas the Nuva ring didnt effect that at all =]
Hi Celeste – just wondering about taking out the ring during sex. I thought it could / should stay ii place for 3 weeks. Love to know
Hi Toni – you can remove the ring as long as you put it back in after sex. It needs to be back in place in three hours. Hope that helps! -e
NuvaRing is amazing, end of story. It’s on the expensive side, especially if you don’t have prescription insurance, but dang is it great. Right now the only reason I can afford it is because my doctor is great and gave me ten months’ worth for free. Apparently I was the only one using the samples she had and she couldn’t get rid of them. Regardless, NuvaRing is really nice, though I do also have a similar “dry vagina” side effect, just not quite as severe.