Some questions about using the ring

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-07-2004
Some questions about using the ring
2
Mon, 10-04-2004 - 3:31pm
this question goes out to all the nuvaring users:

this is the first month of being on nuvaring. last night (sunday @ 10pm to be exact) marked the end of the three weeks of having the ring inserted. i didn't remove the ring until about 11am this morning (i knew my bf and i would have sex last night but not until after 10pm) since i was unsure about how well i'd be protected, i just left it in. so my question is this--i read in the prescribing information that you should remove/insert the ring around the same time of day that inserted/removed it last. so since i waited about 13 hours after i should have removed it last night, can i still insert a new one next sunday at 10pm or do i have to wait until next monday at 11am? i know its probably not that big of a difference, but i really don't wanna screw things up and then not be protected as well as i should be.

and one one other question, when i insert a new ring next week, how long would i have to use a back up method before being protected against pregnancy. in the instructions it says that when first starting nuvaring (as in the first time EVER using it) you have to use back up for the first seven days. but it says nothing about what to do for the next time you insert a new one. i've looked on www.nuvaring.com, but the website kinda leaves out a lot of information. and since i've found alot of posters have a lot helpful info, i figured i'd ask here. i still have a lot of questions about the ring and how it works because all the nurse at my gyn office told me was what day to insert and three weeks later to take it out.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
Mon, 10-04-2004 - 3:57pm
Well actually the Nuva ring is effective for 4 weeks.....so because you were late taking it out it is not a big deal. However, being that I too am a new user I am not sure about your question on WHEN to put the new ring in. I actually kept mine in for 3.5 weeks since I wanted to change my period. Now it is out and I am waiting 7 days and will reinsert a new one on Friday.

You don't need a back up method every month or after having your period....it works just like the pill in that regard.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 10-04-2004 - 8:52pm
The beauty of the ring, besides its convenience, is its flexibility!

It's perfectly fine to go up to an extra week with the same ring--4 weeks is okay. No longer than 4, but if you needed to move a period around, you can remove the ring anywhere from day 21-day 28. After you've been on the ring for a few months, you'll know that you'll start your period X days after you remove your ring. Let's say that you have something coming up that you don't want your period for and it falls on day X+2. If you take your ring out two or three days later, you won't start your period for X days and your event should go unblemished.

But you're also not required to take a full 7 days off between rings either! Even though you removed your ring on Monday instead of Sunday, you can insert your next ring on Sunday just as planned. You can't exceed 7 days without a ring, but you can shorten your ring-free week as needed. One example would be if you're going on vacation starting on Saturday of your ring-free week. Instead of packing a new ring to insert on Sunday, you can insert it Friday night and be done with it. But you'll have to watch that if you use a couple of extra days at the beginning of the cycle, you don't use too many at the end of the cycle if you're tempted to leave it in a little long.

I hope that wasn't too much information for you! I've been using the ring for almost two years and have found its flexibility to be a real asset.

Good luck! And don't panic if you don't start your period right away--it can take a few days!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control