NuvaRing

What is NuvaRing?

NuvaRing is a flexible piece of plastic you insert once a month to prevent pregnancy. It stays in place for three weeks and then you take it out for a one-week break. There are two hormones in the ring that are released into the body, so it works like the combined pill.

One advantage of NuvaRing over combined oral contraceptive pills is that you don’t need to take it every day. One ring lasts for three weeks, followed by a week-long break, which adds up to an entire month of coverage.

How does NuvaRing work?

NuvaRing is a relatively small, soft ring that sits in your vaginal canal. It releases versions of progesterone and estrogen, two hormones that naturally occur in the body. These hormones change whether you ovulate and how menstruation happens. NuvaRing is very, very good at preventing pregnancy.

Into details? We are too. Like we mentioned, NuvaRing changes how ovulation happens. In fact, it stops it. Since no egg is released by the ovary, it can’t be fertilized. NuvaRing also keeps the wall of the uterus from growing thicker with your cycle (thick wall = bad) but makes the mucus in your cervix grow thicker (thick mucus = good) so sperm can’t get through. Both of these things make it less and less likely that an egg could be fertilized and, even if fertilized, that it could lead to pregnancy.

Is NuvaRing better than the pill?

Women who don’t want the hassle of a pill every day may find NuvaRing a more low-maintenance option. It only needs to be inserted once a month and then taken out three weeks later, which saves a lot of time and remembering.

NuvaRing’s effectiveness is the same as the pill’s, but you could argue that it’s actually better. With less room for error (since you don’t have to remember it every day), you’re getting closer to “perfect” use.

Another added benefit of a birth control ring is that your protection levels don’t change if you’re sick and experience vomiting or diarrhea. Because the pill is taken orally, what goes on with your digestive system can impact your protection. With NuvaRing? That stomach flu just got a little bit less stressful.

How to use NuvaRing

NuvaRing is inserted into the vagina. We recommend you see your doctor or gynecologist in person before inserting NuvaRing for the first time, as it’s a little tricky and you want to make sure you’re doing it right. After that, you can insert it on your own — once you’ve gotten the hang of it, it shouldn’t take long at all^[1]
The package insert that comes with NuvaRing has more detailed info on how to insert it, but here’s the gist.

1. With clean hands, compress the ring between your thumb and fingers and carefully insert the tip inside the vaginal canal.
2. Push higher until it’s firmly inside and you’re comfortable. You should be able to feel with your fingers that it’s still in place.
3. NuvaRing must be removed after exactly three weeks. To remove it, clean your hands and hook the ring onto one of your fingers. Then gently pull it out.
4. NuvaRing comes with a small bag you can use to discard it. Always dispose of your NuvaRing into a trash can and not into the toilet.

If you can’t find NuvaRing when it’s time to remove it, see a doctor. It isn’t possible for the ring to become lost inside the body, so don’t panic — you might just need a little help getting it out.

How effective is NuvaRing?

If you use NuvaRing exactly right, according to the instructions, it’s almost guaranteed to prevent pregnancy. If you make a mistake with it every now and again, the effectiveness drops a little, but still gives you a high level of protection.

With “perfect” use, NuvaRing is thought to be more than 99% effective.^[2] In birth control terms, this means that fewer than one in 100 women using NuvaRing perfectly would become pregnant in a year.

“Typical” use, which is little closer to how real people use birth control in real life (like occasionally forgetting to insert the ring on the right day) brings the effectiveness down to 91%. This means that nine in 100 women using NuvaRing over 12 months would become pregnant.

The best way to ensure NuvaRing is as effective as possible is to follow the instructions as closely as you can.