Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nuvaring and birthcontrol

How much does NuvaRing cost?

amandarose — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:16:20 -0800

How much does the NuvaRing cost without insurance? I'm considering whether or not to pay for COBRA. The only real medical expense I have regularly is for my NuvaRing. Does anyone know how much it costs without insurance, so I can decide if it's worth paying for COBRA until I find a new job? With my prescription coverage, it's only been $20.

Birth Control/NuvaRing filter: I've had the ring in for 4 weeks and 12 hours. Should I worry?

dahliachewswell — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:49:04 -0800

Birth Control/NuvaRing filter: I've had the ring in for 4 weeks and 12 hours. Should I worry? When I started the Ring my doctor actually advised me to just keep it in for four weeks if I wanted to miss a period, just trade old and new rings at the four week mark. But, I'm a day late putting the new Ring in this week.

All the NuvaRing documentation I can find says this:

"If NuvaRing® has been left in for more than 3 weeks (but less than 4 weeks), remove it immediately and insert a new ring after a 1-week ring-free break.

If NuvaRing® has been left in place for more than 4 weeks, you may not be adequately protected from pregnancy.... etc."

Doing the math, isn't putting a new ring in today with no break just the same as realizing I was "over 3 but under 4 weeks" a couple days ago therefore being on my recommended week-long break anyway?

Nuvaring and oral sex

slow graffiti — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:29:05 -0800

Is my partner ingesting any amount of estrogen from my Nuvaring? Common sense says it's safe for a guy to give oral sex to a girl using Nuvaring, but I wonder...if one were using this method of birth control for years, and had the same partner and regular oral sex, would the partner end up ingesting just a bit more estrogen compared to pills or other methods? Is the hormone not very concentrated in vaginal secretions, meaning it's basically impossible to transmit via oral sex?

My paranoid thinking goes like this: they tell you not to dispose of the ring except in its foil pouch, because they don't want estrogen leaking into ground water, right? Then how is it safe to have oral contact across mucus membranes with it? Obviously it must be safe, but why?

Are the side effects of birth control reversible?

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:30:29 -0800

I want to start taking birth control, but I'm afraid of potential side effects. I really do not want mood swings, weight gain and I especially do not want bigger boobs. What if I start on the Nuvaring and my boobs go up a cup size, if I stop taking it, will they go back to their normal size? Also, how long does it take for any of the side effects to develop, and how long would it take to go away? If I stop taking it for a while, and then go back on, will the same side effects return? I'm 31, fairly petite and slim, and in a long term relationship. Might have kids in the next 5 years, so getting an IUD is out of the question. Also, am completely absentminded, so taking the pill is not an option I want either.

How can we either get around the side effects of my birth control OR get past the trials and tribulations of condoms?

Anonymous — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:43:52 -0800

Two-parter question about birth control. We need to either figure out how to make my hormonal BC more comfortable OR improve our condom experience. More details within. I'm about to give up on hormonal birth control entirely. I can deal with most of the side effects, but the dryness is becoming increasingly unbearable. Sex is starting to hurt more than it's fun. But! I'm giving myself the rest of this month's prescription (I'm on the NuvaRing at present but have tried other methods before) to figure out how to make this more bearable because we'd rather not go back to condoms. No amount or variety of lube seems to be helping with the hormonal BC. So, question part 1: Are there any other ways of decreasing the dryness? Anything you've tried besides lube that helped you personally?

If we can't make this work, we're going back to condoms, which brings me to part two of my question. I know there are quite a few posts on here about condoms, but I'd specifically like a suggestion for effective condoms that are *easy to put on* for larger-than-average guys. I've read that Hot Rod condoms, for instance, have applicator strips, but I don't know anything else about Hot Rod condoms, frankly. They seem like a bit of a novelty act. It's just that when we used condoms regularly, we'd sometimes go through two or three of them before he'd get one to stay on comfortably, and the whole process frustrates him. Any suggestions?

How long does it take for the hormones to leave my system?

schroedinger — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:52:18 -0800

What can I expect from taking a break from hormonal birth control? How long does it take the hormones to clear out of your system? Which hormonal birth control side effects disappear and which stay? Factual and anecdotal advice welcome! I am currently on NuvaRing and have decided to take a break from hormonal birth control for at least a few months. I would like to let it all clear from my system and see how my body and mood changes when everything is "normal", then possibly start again-- though probably with the Mirena IUD. I'm wondering what to expect from this "off" period. How long does it take for the cravings and moodiness to stop? Will my boobs shrink immediately? When will my period go back to pre-BC flow? Is this a gradual process or abrupt? Will these BC side effects disappear at all? Does it depend entirely on my individual chemistry?

I would love to hear your experiences on going off, and whether or not you went back on and why.

NuvaRing out for 1/2 hour longer than it ought to have been... looking for advice and experiences.

exlotuseater — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 22:09:12 -0800

NuvaRing out for 1/2 hour longer than it ought to have been... looking for advice and experiences. NuvaRing users:

We are looking for reassurance and personal experiences from women who use the ring, and/or clinicians or docs that are familiar with the action and pharmacokinetics of the ring.

So. The ring came out during sex, and was reinserted three-and-a-half-hours afterwards.

The literature that is supplied with the ring states that if the ring is out for more than three hours, contraceptive efficacy may be compromised. How much?

NuvaRing releases a combination of estrogen and progestin, providing a sort of threefold defense against pregnancy-- one, it prevents ovulation. two, it thins the uterine lining, forestalling implantation of a fertilized egg, and three, it thickens cervical mucus, making it more difficult for semen to get past the cervix.

Is ~30 minutes over really long enough to allow progestin levels to drop to a point at which ovulation would occur? I imagine that the 3 hour limit is fairly arbitrary; the assumption being that 3 hours is completely safe, but anything over that increases one's chances.

This occurred on the 16^th day into the cycle, though from what we understand of the action of the ring, it's moot, as ovulation is completely suppressed.

We have posted to the nuva_ring lj, vaginapagina lj, spoken to a clinician at Planned Parenthood (who are usually fairly helpful, but this one was completely off with her facts regarding the official time limit re: length of time out), and gotten a lot of conflicting information, from "oh, don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll be fine, don't bother with Plan B, to "well, it depends.. would a pregnancy be devastating right now, or not?". PP provided a dose of "Plan B", but we're wary of using it having heard some horror stories of really bad reactions.

If anyone can provide peer-reviewed studies or statistical papers on exactly how quickly the efficacy drops after the three-hour mark, that would help too.

We're really just looking to assuage our nervousness.

Is NuvaRing giving me an unstoppable period?

schroedinger — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:16:52 -0800

Is my NuvaRing making my period wonky, and will it eventually stop? Has anyone had similar side-effects from starting on the Ring? Womanly cycle details inside. I was on Ortho TriCyclin Lo until the end of April. I stopped because it was making me crazy and crave chocolate all the damn time. I used no hormonal birth control during May. This month I began NuvaRing. A week-and-a-half ago my period started (though three days late). On the second day of flow I inserted the Ring, as per its official instructions booklet. Now my period has yet to stop, though for the past week the flow has been very light.

Previous to OrthoLo I usually menstruated six to seven days. I had no initial side-effects switching to OrthoLo, and when I was on it my periods lasted about five days or less, and were much lighter than previously. This whole ten-day period thing is an entirely new and unwelcome development.

Has anyone experienced similar side-effects from switching to the Ring or birth control in general? Do I need to wait it out or see a doctor? It is going to stop some time, right? God, I hope it will stop.

Ways around Nuvaring side effects?

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 11:17:46 -0800

Problems with the NuvaRing. What can I do? I started the NuvaRing two weeks ago. I had sex for the first time (on the ring) last night and I immediately felt an intense burning in my vagina that didn't go away for 45 minutes. I did some investigation and it seems that other people have complained about this in various forums but the only solution seems to be to take out the ring during sex. Are there any other ways around this? Also, when looking at the side effects, I saw sinusitis listed. I've had a cold that I can't shake for a week. Related?

A period belongs at the end of a sentence

nakedsushi — Mon, 01 May 2006 22:23:46 -0800

Should I use birth control to skip my period? I'm taking the NuvaRing as prescribed: in for 3 weeks, out for 1 week, repeat with a new ring the next week. I'm getting fed up with PMS, cramps, bloating and the lethargic feeling I get whenever Auntie Flow visits so I'm considering continuously using The Ring and skipping my periods altogether (or delaying them for months?). Has anyone else had any success stories with this?

I'm borederline anemic, and IANAD (but I will consult one shortly about this whole thing), but wouldn't it be beneficial for me not to be bleeding each month anyway?

oh my god it looks like a jelly bracelet!

Kellydamnit — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 15:48:03 -0800

So, I just started Nuvaring (warning: music), which my doctor convinced me to try before getting an IUD, and I was wondering if anyone out there had any experience with it, good or bad. Specifically looking for side effects, things to watch out for, tips about getting the damn thing in place, and so on. Also would love to know from any guys who may have had a partner on it if they can, ahem, feel the ring.