Birth control ring: Basic Info
The birth control ring (brand names: Annovera and NuvaRing) is a small, bendable plastic ring that you insert into your vagina. You leave it in place for three weeks at a time, then take it out for the fourth week. The main way the ring works is by giving off hormones that prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs.
There are two types of birth control rings, one that you can use over and over for up to a year (Annovera) and one type that is replaced monthly (NuvaRing or its generic versions).
Quick Facts
Very effective if you use it correctly. Easy to use and works like the pill, but you don’t have to worry about it every day.
- Effectiveness
The ring is very effective the way most people use it.
Perfect Use: 97 to over 99% effective.
Typical Use: 93% effective.
- Hormones
The ring contains two different kinds of hormones, estrogen and progestin.
- Side effects
Most common—but usually temporary—side effects are irregular bleeding, headaches, sore breasts, and nausea.
- Cost
Anywhere from $0 (with insurance) to $200 a month.
- STI protection
The ring doesn’t protect against STIs.
- Ongoing effort
Ring in. Wait 3 weeks. Ring out. Wait 1 week. Repeat. Get a new ring every month.
Different Types
Yearly birth control ring (Annovera)
Annovera is a white, bendable birth control ring that you can use for up to a year. You insert it into your vagina and keep it there for three weeks. At the end of the third week, you take it out, wash it with mild soap and water, pat it dry, and store it in its case at room temperature for a week. That's usually when you get a withdrawal bleed, which is similar to a period. At the end of the fourth week, you put it back in your vagina and start the whole cycle again. After 13 cycles, it's time for a new Annovera.
Annovera contains two different kinds of hormones, estrogen and progestin, that work together to prevent pregnancy. These hormones are absorbed through the vagina. The main way they prevent pregnancy is by stopping ovulation from happening, which means that the ovaries don't release an egg.
Monthly birth control ring (NuvaRing)
The monthly birth control ring (NuvaRing and its generic versions) is a clear, bendable birth control ring that you insert into your vagina. You leave NuvaRing in place for three weeks at a time, then take it out for the fourth week. That's usually when you get your period. At the end of the fourth week, you insert a new ring.
NuvaRing contains two different kinds of hormones, estrogen and progestin, that work together to prevent pregnancy. These hormones are absorbed through the vagina. The main way they prevent pregnancy is by stopping ovulation from happening, which means that the ovaries don't release an egg. Generic versions of NuvaRing contain the same hormones and work in the same way.
