Vaginal Ring

What is it? How does it work?
‍The vaginal ring is a small, flexible ring that you insert into the vagina, kind of like how you put in a tampon. The ring contains progestin and estrogen, which are hormones that prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs each month and thicken your cervical mucus.

How to use it?
‍With clean hands, squeeze the ring together between your thumb and index finger and insert it like a tampon into the vagina. Remove the ring after 3 weeks and insert a new ring 1 week later. If you want to skip your period, you insert the ring once every 3 weeks.

How effective is it?
‍The ring is 91% effective with typical use. With perfect use, it is greater than 99% effective.

What are the side effects?
‍Usually the ring has few side effects. When individuals do have side effects, they usually experience spotting, nausea, and tender breasts.

NuvaRing and Annovera - what is the difference?

While Nuvaring and Annovera are both vaginal rings, there are a few differences between them. NuvaRing lasts for 1 month, whereas Annovera lasts for 1 year (13 cycles). With Nuvaring, once you’ve taken out your ring, you will throw it in the trash and replace it with a new one. With Annovera, you will remove the ring and store it in the provided case until it’s time to reinsert it. Your insurance will likely cover either Nuvaring or Annovera for a $0 copay. If you’re paying out of pocket, there may be a price difference between Nuvaring and Annovera.

Lastly, for most people it’s considered appropriate to skip your period using Nuvaring if you choose to do so (you can keep the ring in for 4 or 5 weeks and replace it with a new ring at the start of the 5th or 6th week). ‍Skipping your period on Annovera is considered an “off label” use, meaning it hasn’t been studied thoroughly enough to be recommended by the FDA, but it is appropriate in most cases.

Does Nuvaring protect me against sexually transmitted infections?
‍The ring does not provide protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

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