Nuva Ring questions

[texasnursingstudent]

hey all

i am doing a little bit of research- my doctor gave me a sample nuva ring today, and i've been interested in taking it for awhile but....i want to find out a little bit about it before i use it.

i've been on birth control pills for about five years now, and while they've worked wonderfully (a/e/b NO KIDS), taking them has defeated the purpose because, well....BCP's have a lovely "low libido" side-effect.

has anyone had this issue with Nuva Ring? what about side effects- has anyone had them? THANKS!

[LilRedRN1973]

I loved the Nuva Ring at first. My gyno told me I could keep it in for a full 4 weeks, then change it out which would prevent me from having a period (I have horrible cramps that make me vomit and bedridden). Studies have proven the ring to be effective for up to 35 days. But then I ended up getting yeast infection after infection. I was shocked because I had never even had one yeast infection in my life. Once I took the ring out and went back to conventional birth control and took medication to clear up the yeast infection, I didn't have any more occurrences after that. I mourn the fact that I can't use the Nuva Ring because I LOVED the ease of use and that you didn't have to think about it every day; just once a month was it on my mind!

[HealthyRN]

I just wanted to post about my experiences with Nuva Ring. For the first few months, I thought it was great. It made my periods lighter and relieved the horrible cramping that I have. After a few months though, it turned me into a crazy woman. I was crying all the time, depressed, and having anxiety and panic attacks that I had never had before. I started losing a LOT of hair. The final straw was when I started developing varicose veins in my legs (I am 22 years old, active, and thin with no family history). My PCP thought that these symptoms were probably related to Nuva Ring and I went off it after about 7 months. And then, I developed acne like I have never had before- cystic acne that was very painful along with regular old acne all over my face and even spreading down my neck. It took me several months to get the acne under control. I have vowed never to use hormonal contraceptives again! Everyone reacts differently to hormones, but it was definately not for me. .

[VegRN]

I liked nuvaring for the first few months I took it. I started using it because I developed "hormonal acne", acne on the chin, cheeks and jawline, which was a new thing for me and hard to get rid of with OTC creams.

Anyway, the pros were its ease of use, it got rid of my acne, and TMI ahead...... it had a positive affect on my libido and I had fuller breasts.

The cons were that it seemed like I just kept slowly gaining weight. At first I thought it was just water weight that I would lose once i took the ring out but that didn't happen. I only ended up gaining 5 pounds in 2 months but I believe I would have kept going had I continued to use the ring.

Additionally, I slowly started to get sort of depressed and anxious over the few months I was taking it. Not fun.

I did stop taking it but it still is the best hormonal birth control I have ever taken. All the others made me so sick to my stomach and depressed that I couldn't take them for more than a week.

[L&DRNJenn]

I've been on Nuvaring for about 4 years now and I love it! I haven't had any side effects. My periods are virtually cramp free and light. (TMI-some months even a tampon is too much). My sex drive is better on the ring than it was on the pill. I haven't gained weight. I actually forget it is there. I use the stickers provided on the calendar so I can keep track of my dates. Every month I wear it for 4 weeks and out for one week. I make a habit of checking for it after intercourse. I once found it in the sheets, I had no idea it had come out. A few times my boyfriend has "won the ring toss". It's actually quite funny when that happens.

Good luck!

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Oh Thank God I don't have to worry about birth control! Taking it out and washing it every 3 days!?

But if I did worry about BC, a simple thermometer would suffice.

[ChocoholicRN]

All of this information, pros and cons, has been a huge help for me. I've been on Ortho-Tri Lo for about 3 years now and lately i've noticed some major changes. My libido has really gone down and I get really emotionally and, ahem, bitchy, when i'm about to get my period, something that never happened before I was on the pill. I tried stopping it once for about a month because I wasn't sexually active at the time (I've been a long-term relationship now for a while) and as soon as I stopped, my acne came back even worse than before and i pretty much had my period the whole time minus a few days. The only reason I didn't get the ring earlier is because at my college, the school's health insurance didn't cover the ring and it would have been very expensive. I would love to try the ring, but i've noticed a number of people mention weight gain and headaches. How common/severe are these side effects? Also, I know if varies by insurance company, but how much does NuvaRing generally cost with health insurance? I pay only $10 for the pill, but thats also the generic brand. Thanks for the help!! Sorry if this was TMI for anyone, lol.

[jazzbenn]

I just got the Nuva Ring after trying just about every pill they have to offer. I tried the pill where you only get periods every three months. It made me INSANE. Then I tried a low dose pill, and I just spotted for about two weeks straight. I tried a normal dose hormone pill, Trinessa, and it worked fairly well but I'm just so awful at remembering to take it daily. So, I recently got the Nuva Ring and put it in a few days ago. I haven't been, ahem, "intimate" with it yet, and I'm really worried that he'll be able to feel it. I'm in a committed relationship, and he is just as curious about it as I am. Is it uncomfortable? I'm sure I probably won't feel it, but honestly I'm more concerned with him. Has anyone had any complaints from their partners about it?

[LDRNMOMMY, BSN, RN]

I HATED the Nuva Ring! I used it for all of two weeks before I took it out. My PCM did not want to Rx me BCP's d/t borderline HTN and with me being over 30 she thought I should try Nuva Ring. I so so tired, it felt like first trimester pregnancy tired! I felt very anxious on it. At night my mind and heart would race. I know this sounds weird but it felt like I could feel my blood pulsing through my veins. I also had heart palpitations, multiple palpitations per hour. Prior to being on NR I would have an occaisonal one every couple of months. I was so scared that I took it out and dh and I used condoms. I have lost 30 lbs this year and am now on BCP's and couldn't be happier.