NuvaRing is a small, flexible vaginal ring used to prevent pregnancy. You put it in for 3 weeks, take it out, then put a new one in a week later. It’s just as effective as the pill when used as directed, and you don’t have to think about taking it every day.
The NuvaRing works by stopping sperm from meeting an egg (which is called fertilization). Like most birth control pills, the ring contains the hormones estrogen and progestin, which are similar to hormones our bodies make naturally. You wear the ring inside your vagina, where your vaginal lining absorbs the hormones. NuvaRing’s hormones stop ovulation. No ovulation means there’s no egg hanging around for sperm to fertilize, so pregnancy can’t happen. The ring’s hormones also thicken the mucus that lives on the cervix. Thicker cervical mucus makes it hard for the sperm to swim to an egg — kind of like a sticky security guard.
When used perfectly, the NuvaRing is 99% effective. But when it comes to real life, the ring is about 91% effective because it can be hard to be perfect. So in reality, 9 out of 100 ring users get pregnant each year.
