Common Questions

The muscles in your body should keep NuvaRing^® in place, even when you exercise or bathe. If you are worried that it has slipped out, you can always use your finger to check that it is still inside. (Be sure to wash and dry your hands first.)

NuvaRing^® may slip out when removing a tampon, straining during a bowel movement, or having intercourse. If NuvaRing^® does slip out, follow these directions.

Note: Women with conditions affecting the vagina, such as a prolapsed (dropped) uterus, may be more likely to have NuvaRing^® slip out. If NuvaRing^® slips out repeatedly, please consult your doctor.

NuvaRing^® may slip out when removing a tampon, straining during a bowel movement, or having intercourse. If NuvaRing^® does slip out, follow the directions below:

• If NuvaRing^® is out for less than 3 hours: Rinse NuvaRing^® with cool-to-lukewarm (not hot) water and reinsert it as soon as possible, at the latest within 3 hours. You should still be protected from pregnancy. If you’ve lost NuvaRing^®, insert a new NuvaRing^® and continue on the same schedule you had been following
• If NuvaRing^® is out for more than 3 continuous hours during the first 2 weeks of starting a new NuvaRing^®: Contraceptive effectiveness may have been reduced, so you might not be protected from pregnancy. Reinsert the ring as soon as possible and use an extra method of birth control (such as condoms or spermicide) until you have used NuvaRing^® for 7 days in a row
• If NuvaRing^® has been out for more than 3 continuous hours during the third week of using a new NuvaRing^®: Throw the ring away and choose 1 of the 2 options below:
  
  1. Insert a new ring immediately. This begins the next 3-week use period. You may not have a period but you may experience breakthrough spotting or bleeding.
  
  2. Have your period and insert a new ring no later than 7 days from the time the previous ring was removed or expelled. This option should be chosen only if the ring was used continuously for the preceding 7 days.
  
  In addition, you must use a barrier method (such as condoms or spermicide) until you have used NuvaRing^® for 7 days in a row.
   

Note: Women with conditions affecting the vagina, such as a prolapsed (dropped) uterus, may be more likely to have NuvaRing^® slip out. If NuvaRing^® slips out repeatedly, please consult your doctor.

No. NuvaRing^® cannot be pushed too far up or get lost in your body. In fact, NuvaRing^® cannot go farther than the cervix.

No. NuvaRing^® does not dissolve. It releases a low dose of hormones into your body over the course of 3 weeks. After that time, you need to remove it, take a week off from NuvaRing^®, and insert a new one no later than 7 days after removal.

No. NuvaRing^® is not a barrier method. Just like the Pill, it is a contraceptive that contains hormones for preventing pregnancy. That is part of what makes NuvaRing^® so easy—it will work anywhere in your vagina that is comfortable for you.

NuvaRing^® is easy to insert and remove:

Inserting NuvaRing^®:
After washing and drying your hands, remove NuvaRing^® from the foil pouch. Holding NuvaRing^® between your thumb and index finger, press the sides together while lying down, squatting, or standing with one leg up—whatever is most comfortable for you. Gently push the folded ring into your vagina. If you feel discomfort after inserting NuvaRing^®, slide it farther in until it feels comfortable. The exact position of NuvaRing^® is not important for it to be effective. Once inserted, keep NuvaRing^® in place for 3 weeks in a row.

Removing NuvaRing^®:
Remove the ring 3 weeks after insertion on the same day of the week it was inserted at about the same time. Hook your index finger under the forward rim or hold the rim between your index and middle finger. Gently pull out NuvaRing^®. Dispose of NuvaRing^® in a waste receptacle out of the reach of children and pets. Do not throw it in the toilet. To continue to have pregnancy protection, you must insert a new ring 1 week after the last one was removed even if your period has not stopped.

After 3 weeks of use, NuvaRing^® should be removed for a 1-week break and then a new one should be inserted no more than 7 days later. If the ring-free interval has been extended beyond 1 week, the possibility of pregnancy should be considered, and you will need to use an additional method of birth control (such as condoms or spermicide) until you have used NuvaRing^® 7 days in a row. If you know or suspect you are pregnant, do not use NuvaRing^®. See your doctor as soon as possible.

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 and must check to be sure you are not pregnant. If you are not pregnant, insert a new NuvaRing^®. You must use an extra method of birth control (such as condoms or spermicide) until you have used the new NuvaRing^® for 7 days in a row. If you know or suspect you may be pregnant, do not use NuvaRing^®. See your doctor as soon as possible.

It is important to consult with your doctor to make sure you are not pregnant before starting NuvaRing^®.

When you start using NuvaRing^® depends on your current birth control situation. Talk to your doctor and consult the Full Product Information for more details. For basic directions on how to start NuvaRing^®, read this.

Simply stop—your fertility should return in a short period of time. Results of a clinical study indicate that return to normal ovulation typically occurs within 13 to 28 days following removal of the ring.

Dispose of NuvaRing^® in a waste receptacle out of the reach of children and pets. Do not throw it in the toilet.

After being dispensed by the pharmacy, NuvaRing^® can be stored for up to 4 months at room temperature, between 59° and 86°F (15° and 30°C). Avoid direct sunlight or storing above 86°F (30°C).

Most women can’t feel NuvaRing^® once it’s in place.

Once inserted, NuvaRing^® will mold to your body and your muscles should keep it in place. If you do feel discomfort, NuvaRing^® is probably not fully inserted. In that case, just use your finger to gently push the NuvaRing^® farther in. Rest assured, there is no danger of NuvaRing^® being pushed too far up or getting lost in your body. The cervix (the narrow, lower end of the uterus) will block NuvaRing^® from going any farther.

During intercourse, some sexual partners may feel NuvaRing^® in the vagina. However, in clinical studies 9 out of 10 (90%) of couples did not find this to be a problem.

Do not use NuvaRing^® if you have any of the following conditions:

• A history of heart attack or stroke
• A history of blood clots in your legs (thrombophlebitis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), or eyes
• A history of blood clots in the deep veins of your legs
• Chest pain (angina pectoris)
• Severe high blood pressure
• Diabetes with complications of the kidneys, eyes, nerves, or blood vessels
• Headaches with neurological symptoms
• Known or suspected breast cancer or cancer of the lining of the uterus, cervix, or vagina (now or in the past)
• Unexplained vaginal bleeding (until a diagnosis is reached by your doctor)
• Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or of the skin (jaundice) during pregnancy or during previous use of hormonal birth control of any kind (the Pill, patch, vaginal ring, injection, or implant)
• Liver tumor (benign or cancerous)
• Heart valve or heart rhythm disorders that may be associated with formation of blood clots
• Need for a long period of bed rest following major surgery
• Known or suspected pregnancy
• Active liver disease with abnormal liver function tests
• An allergy or hypersensitivity to any of the components of NuvaRing^®

Tell your health care provider if you have ever had any of the conditions just listed. Your health care provider can suggest another method of birth control.

Talk with your health care provider about using NuvaRing^® if you:

• Smoke
• Recently had a baby
• Recently had a miscarriage or abortion
• Are breastfeeding
• Are taking other medications

In addition, talk to your health care provider about using NuvaRing^® if you
have any of the following conditions. Women with any of these conditions
should be checked often by their doctor or health care provider if they choose to use NuvaRing^®.

• A family history of breast cancer
• Breast nodules, fibrocystic disease, an abnormal breast x-ray, or abnormal mammogram
• Diabetes
• Elevated cholesterol or triglycerides
• High blood pressure
• Migraine or other headaches or epilepsy
• Depression
• Gallbladder, liver, heart, or kidney disease
• Scanty or irregular menstrual periods
• Plan to have major surgery (You may need to stop using NuvaRing^® for a while to reduce your chance of getting blood clots.)
• Any condition that makes the vagina get irritated easily
• Prolapsed (dropped) uterus, dropped bladder (cystocele), or rectal prolapse (rectocele)
• Severe constipation
• History of toxic shock syndrome

For additional information, please read the Full Product Information for NuvaRing^®.

Smoking
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects when you use combination oral contraceptives. This risk increases even more if you are over age 35 and if you smoke 15 or more cigarettes a day. Women who use combination hormonal contraceptives, including NuvaRing^®, are strongly advised not to smoke.

Breastfeeding
Do not breastfeed while using NuvaRing^®. Some of the medicine may pass through the milk to the baby and could cause yellowing of the skin (jaundice) and breast enlargement in your baby. NuvaRing^® could also decrease the amount and quality of your breast milk.

Some medications
The hormones in NuvaRing^® can interact with many other medicines and herbal supplements. Tell your doctor about any medicines you are taking, or begin to take, including prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, herbal remedies, and vitamins.

The blood levels of the hormones released by NuvaRing^® were increased when women used a vaginal medication (miconazole nitrate) for a yeast infection while NuvaRing^® was in place. The pregnancy protection of NuvaRing^® is not likely to be changed by use of these products. The blood levels of these hormones were not changed when women used vaginal, water-based spermicides (nonoxynol or N-9 products) along with NuvaRing^®.

Certain drugs and herbal supplements may interact with combined hormonal birth control to make them less effective in preventing pregnancy or cause an increase in breakthrough bleeding. Such drugs include rifampin, drugs used for epilepsy such as barbiturates (for example, phenobarbital), carbamazepine, and phenytoin, primidone, topiramate, phenylbutazone, modafinil, and some drugs used for HIV such as ritonavir. Pregnancies and breakthrough bleeding have been reported by users of combined hormonal birth control who also used the herbal supplement St. John’s Wort. You may need to use a nonhormonal method of contraception during any cycle in which you take drugs that can make oral birth control less effective. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking or start taking any other medications, including nonprescription products or herbal products, while using NuvaRing^®.

Diaphragm
While using NuvaRing^®, you should not rely upon a diaphragm when you need a backup method of birth control because NuvaRing^® may interfere with the correct placement and position of a diaphragm.

Lab tests
If you are scheduled for any laboratory tests, tell your doctor you are using NuvaRing^®. Birth control hormones may change certain blood test results.

NuvaRing^® is unlikely to cause an overdose because it releases a steady amount of birth control hormones. However, never use more than 1 ring at a time.

Symptoms of combined hormonal birth control overdose include nausea, vomiting, and vaginal bleeding. If you suspect you have overdosed, see your doctor immediately.

No. Before inserting NuvaRing^®, always check the expiration date on the label. Do not insert if the expiration date has passed.

If you miss a menstrual period you must consider the possibility that you are pregnant, especially if:

• You miss a period and NuvaRing^® was out for more than 3 hours during the 3 weeks of ring use
• You miss a period and waited longer than 1 week to insert a new ring
• You have followed the instructions and you miss 2 periods in a row
• You have left NuvaRing^® in place for longer than 4 weeks

If you know or suspect you are pregnant, do not use NuvaRing^®. See your doctor as soon as possible.

No. As with other hormonal birth control methods, NuvaRing^® does not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as Chlamydia, genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, and syphilis.