One more question on the ring...

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-07-2004
One more question on the ring...
1
Wed, 10-06-2004 - 4:41pm
hey i posted a message the other day asking some questions on the ring, now i'm curious to know if anyone knows whether or not i'd need to use back up bc during this week (while i'm sans ring). i'm still a little confused on whether or not i'll be protected during the ring free week and at the beginning of my next three week cycle of having the ring in. more than anything i'm just really paranoid and i don't want to slip up and get pregnant. so i just want to make sure i'm doing this right! from a reply to my message, besjoux said that the ring is effective for four weeks. so if anyone could help clear up my question, thanks! i really appreciate the responses because like i said in my post, i'm still very unclear about a few things when it comes to using the ring. my doctors office is kinda not too helpful when it comes to giving me info. thanks again!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 10-06-2004 - 9:16pm
The ring works just like the pill--if you use it properly, you're protected continuously. So if you insert your ring on time, take it out for no more than three hours at a time (or not at all), and don't take any medications that interfere with the absorption of the hormones, you are protected the whole time. The exception is when you first start--we always recommend that you use backup protection for the first cycle on any hormonal contraceptive (except Depo) so that you get used to the method and how your body responds to it, though your patient information will tell you that you only need to use backup for the first seven days. Check your patient information to be sure, some of the newer products have changed the backup requirements for starting (the pill typically tells you that if you start on the first day of your period you don't need backup, but the ring and the patch may be different. If you start any other day, you HAVE to use backup for the first seven days at least.)

One of the benefits with the ring is that you're not tied to 21 days on and 7 days off, the patient information will allow you to leave the ring in for up to 28 days, and then take 7 days off, extending your cycle to 35 days instead of 28 safely. But that 7 day ring-free period doesn't change, the only way you get extra time is to leave the ring in longer. So if you're going on vacation and don't want to take a ring with you to insert in a few days, you can insert it before you leave and not give it another thought until it's time to take it out.

Make sense?

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