Okay, so I start the Nuvaring on Wednesday. Since I’m the first person I know to try it, I’m hoping someone here’s got some experience with it.
If you’ve already tried it, how’s it working for you? Any problems/ nasty side effects/ etc? I’m switching from Mircette to the ring, should I be aware of any potential side effects from the switch?
Thanks for the input…
I haven’t had any personal experience with this, but I am interested in the recent innovations in birth control, so I thought I’d make sure this topic doesn’t disappear off the boards. 
According to what I’ve heard, the NuvaRing uses a lower dose of hormones than The Pill does, so I would think the side effects would be less than with oral contraceptives (of course, I am not a doctor). It’s not much, but an article I found in Google’s cache quotes some women who have used it as being happy with it:
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:Xp70SHcaHWwC:www.startribune.com/stories/1556/2926471.html+%2Bnuvaring+%2B"side+effects"&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Thought I’d bump this with an update…
I’m now on month #2 of using Nuvaring.
The worst part was the adjustment from the old pill (Mircette) to Nuvaring. I assume that since there are different chemical/hormones/whatever in the two types of birth control, my body had to get used to something new. I pity my SO, who had to put up with a week of PsychoBitch (that’d be me) and extreme weepiness.
After I got used to Nuvaring, it was smooth sailing. My mood has improved drastically. No more irritablility or feeling “down in the dumps”, like I did on Mircette. My hair isn’t falling out anymore, and there is no breakthrough bleeding or terrible cramps. I had been becoming seriously concerned about my depression, but I think it may have been the Mircette doing it to me. I’m much more cheerful, and I feel tons better.
Best of all, I only have to think about birth control once a month. And even then I don’t have to think about it. Nuvaring comes with this handy little electronic reminder about the size of a small stopwatch. When it’s time to remove the ring, it beeps. When it’s time to put a new one in, it beeps.
Geez, I sound like a commercial! “With Nuvaring, I can go swimming and horseback riding…” Anyway, has anyone else tried this yet? How has your experience been so far?
I’ve been curious about this too…
…but tell me… is the beeping stopwatch actually IN YOUR COOCHIE (imagine THAT happening in the middle of church)??? :eek:
“Nuvaring”? From the name, I thought this thread was going to be about a sled-dog rece…
Um, no, but that is a funny image. The stopwatch thing is a small purple hourglass shaped plastic thingie. You’re supposed to leave it on your nightstand or in your purse, I suppose. It shows a running total of how many days you’ve had the ring in, and how many days you have until you take it out, and then beeps when it’s time to remove the ring.
The ring is pretty unobtrusive, a 2 inch diameter flexible plastic(?) ring. You just stick it in and go. It can be removed for sex, if it interferes, so long as you put it back within 3 hours. I’ve found no problems with it interfering with sex, though the SO did get a funny look on his face when he manually stimulated me the first time I had it in.
It isn’t uncomfortable, which I expected to be a problem. Mine kind of sits near the cervix, which for some reason conjures up images of ring toss or a game of horeseshoes. :eek: I can’t feel it, and forget that it’s there most of the time. It’s never fallen out, but I do find myself checking to make sure it’s still there every once in a while.
If you’re thinking of trying it, talk to your gyno - most have coupons that make the first one free.
Okay, my Ob/Gyn just prescribed this for me today. I’ll be inserting my first one this weekend. My boyfriend has a very important question: Will he be able to TASTE anything different after I start using this (ahem - down there).
Thanks!
This also I want to know.
Wow, I’m so ashamed to admit this…
I wondered this too. I asked my SO (soon to be husband now, Dec 19th), and he said he didn’t notice anything different. I didn’t believe him, so the next time I had to put a new one in, I tasted it before I inserted it the first time. :eek: Tasted kinda of plasticky in a faint way, but unless the guy is chewing on it like a teething toddler, I doubt he will taste anything at all.
I love mine! I feel a lot more secure than when I was on Ortho-Cyclen. No missed or late pills to stress about, just a steady flow of meds. It’s great!
Can’t ever feel it, not even during sex. It hasn’t fallen out, but for some women it might after sex. All you have to do is rinse it off and pop it back in within three hours. My partner says he can’t feel it either. No bad tatse at all, according to him. The only downfall for some is fishing it out. It’s a lot easier than I expected, though. Not such a big deal. Oh, but remind your man that it’s there before he manually stimulates you for the first time. That’s the only time he can feel it, and it surprised the crap out of him when he forgot.
It doesn’t even matter where it is in the vagina for it to work. Mine sits up high, but each woman can have a different spot it’ll work its way into.
I highly recommend it. I’ve been telling all my friends how great it is. Especially the ones who are as bad as me about remembering the pill.
It takes just like fish!
This is something I’ve wondered about. I’m going to ask about it when I go in for my next pap smear, but I’ve been a little wary of the idea that it might get ‘lost’. That is to say, I’m a little concerned that once I get it in, it might be a little difficult to get back out. Should I not be worried about this? Am I an idiot for thinking this?
I don’t think you have anything to worry about, unless you have one hell of a big vagina. The unaroused vagina is fairly short, so you should be able to feel all the way to your cervix, and the ring is semi-rigid, so it can’t get all crammed up in a corner like a lost condom can. Next time you’re alone, naked, and not horny, have a feel around and you’ll see what I mean.
:eek:
Actually I was worried more about short fingers ::g::
Well, I’ve got some pretty stubby little fingers, and I can feel mine (don’t ask), so I think you’ll probably be all right.
Love mine.
Only hassle is when you have to fill out some form listing all your prescriptions and dosages. Something you shove up there once a month doesn’t necessarily fit their little questions re: dosage and such.
Does it affect your cycle at all? Is it safe for those with high blood pressure?
I’ve been using the Nuva ring for 5 months now, and I love it. I love not having to worry about it for a month at a time.
One of the things I really like about it is the fact that you can leave it in for up to 30 days. I’ve used this to “adjust” my cycle by leaving the ring in an extra day (29 instead of 28) for 3 months, thus changing the day my period would start each month. That way, by the time my vacation came around, I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about my period until I got home…instead of the middle of my travels.
I haven’t had a single problem with inserting it or removing it. I did have to laugh when my doctor was giving me all the instructions about it. She told me, “It’s odorless and tasteless” and gave me this knowing look.
I was completely confused for about 30 seconds thinking, “Why would I taste it?” I finally got a clue though and said, “Oooooohh.” :smack:
I also don’t use the little timer thing. I usually just mark my calendar and keep track on my own.
Sorry about the double post but I thought of one more thing.
There is one downside to the NuvaRing, and that’s price. I started out playing pharmacy musical chairs until I found that Costco consistantly has the lowest price. I usually pay about $36 each month for it. There is one mail order place that I’ve found where you can order 3 at a time and it works out to be about $32 monthly, but I can never plan ahead that far so I just pay the extra $$.
What also sucks is that I finally have insurance that covers birth control, but unfortunately, the NuvaRing is considered a device, and so, is not covered. I’m willing to pay the price for the convenience though.
I don’t think he will. 