Why don't more women use the nuvaring?

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2004
Why don't more women use the nuvaring?
4
Tue, 11-09-2004 - 6:52pm
I've been reading about different kinds of birth control methods and I think the ring sounds really great. It seems to me like it has the effectiveness of the pill but it is much more convenient. But it seems like practically no one uses the ring. Is it just because it is so new? It doesn't seem like it would be uncomfortable unless the woman is using it wrong. I don't see what advantage the pill has over the ring, unless a woman has tried the ring and it gave her raging yeast infections or something. What do you think?
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2004
Tue, 11-09-2004 - 7:15pm
I think it is probably just because the method is new. Compared with how long methods like birth control pills have been around, NuvaRing is a baby! Many women have only ever tried the pill and are perhaps reluctant to switch to the ring, also. However, many women on this board use NuvaRing and seem to love it.

If you decide to give it a try, let us know how you like it!

Avatar for ilovemyfeet
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2003
Tue, 11-09-2004 - 8:27pm
i actually just started using the ring on saturday i had alot fo side effects from the other forms including the patch so i decide to give it a shot. so far im liking it i cant really tell its their but i havent really been on it long enough to tell if im going to have sied effects from it or not. only time will tell on that one. its mutch eiser than the pill i dont have to worry about it as mutch yaaaa i guess alot of women are reluntant to try it because it is so new but their are quite afew women here the use it thats what helped me decide to try it. i hope i keep having good luck wiht it. let us know if you give it a try and how you like it.

Happy Holidays

julie
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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-01-2003
Tue, 11-09-2004 - 9:57pm
The reason I haven't tried it is because it is expensive, almost twice what my pills cost per month! But I am hoping that it is just expensive because it is new, maybe the price will go down over time.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 11-10-2004 - 7:29am
According to my gynecologist, who is a big Nuvaring fan (me too), a lot of women are creeped out by the idea of inserting something into their vaginas and leaving it there for three weeks. Some women don't like the idea of touching themselves, some just can't even stomach the idea. So there's an "ick" factor for some women.

Organon also doesn't have the huge marketing campaign that Ortho-McNeil has for Ortho Tri Cyclen products, or Barr with Seasonale or the Yasmin people (forgive me, I can't remember that drug company). It's hard to advertise a vaginal ring on TV, you know? ;)

And I'd imagine some of it is the newness factor. It's been out since October of 2002, I've been on it since December of 2002. Did I worry? No. It had to go through the same testing that all of the new pill varieties have had, so if a woman would feel comfortable taking Yasmin or Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, she shouldn't have issues with Nuvaring in the newness sense either.

And then there's personal preference....just like with the pill, there is a risk (though lower) of side effects. Women who get chronic yeast infections probably won't be on the list of people trying the ring. Women with vulvodynia may not be lining up either--it's already painful to sit in a chair or have sex, who wants to add to that?

There are probably a lot of factors involved. And if you're just going by the women on the board, I take the absence of ring users to mean that there are a bunch of satisfied customers who don't need help. And yes, it is about $38/month, which won't be covered by my insurance for a while because it's a "new" drug.

Hope that helps you!

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