The birth control ring is a thin, flexible, plastic ring that a woman wears inside the vagina to keep from getting pregnant. It is sometimes referred to by its brand name, NuvaRing. It comes in one size that works for most women. The ring has two hormones in it: estrogen and progestin. The hormones slowly go into the woman's body through the skin in her vagina.
The ring works on a 4-week cycle. The woman puts a new ring in once a month. The ring works to prevent pregnancy. But it does not protect against HIV and other STDs. If you are having sex with someone who might give you a sexually transmitted infection, use condoms.
Perfect user: A person who uses their method of pregnancy prevention correctly all of the time.
Typical user: A person who does not use their method of pregnancy prevention correctly.
With perfect use, the ring is 99.7% effective.
This means that if 100 women use the ring exactly the right way, only 1 woman (and probably no women) out of that group will get pregnant in a year.
With typical use, the ring is 92% effective.
For women who don't always use their ring exactly as directed, 8 women out of 100 might get pregnant in a year.
Important: Some women stop using the ring when they have any of these side effects. The side effects won't hurt you or stop you from having a baby in the future. They usually go away in 1 to 3 months. If they bother you, go back to your clinician so that you can be given a different method that may not cause any side effects.
Remember: If you ever stop the ring for any reason, you can get pregnant right away.
Some signs of possible serious side effects are:
Important: If you have any of these signs, it could mean you have developed a blood clot. Though this is very rare, it is important that you go to your clinician or an emergency room right away.
If you see a doctor for any reason, tell the doctor that you are using the ring. Some medicines may keep the ring from working as well. If you need to take one of these medicines, you may need to use a back-up method of pregnancy prevention, like condoms, until you finish the medication. Your doctor will tell you if this is necessary.
To learn more about how to use the ring, go to: