Nuvaring effects on beauty?

Jan 22, 2013

Natalie T.

I've been using Nuvaring for a while now... almost three years and I've had some ups and downs with it. They actually prescribed it to me because I didn't want to gain weight, so this was one of my better options. I never gained weight on Nuvaring. I have always had fluctuating weight and I'm quite heavy so that was definitely concern of mine. My skin was fine on Nuvaring, but I never had problematic skin at any point in my life, so I don't know if that made a difference for me or not.
You can kinda "skip" periods on the Nuvaring, and I definitely think I abused that option waaayyyyy too much, so I would advise against it. You put it in for three weeks and take it out for one week of menstruation, but I often left it in for four weeks and just swapped it out when I was due for a new ring. This worked for a while, but I think I did it too often because I had no period from August until the first week of November, then I almost constantly bled or spotted from November until I started using the ring correctly last week.
The ring also helped my cramps quite a bit! I had extremely painful and debilitating cramps and the Nuvaring helped until a couple months ago... now they're back to normal =( If I quit smoking by my annual checkup, I will considering switching birth control just because of this.
I was a little hesitant about getting Nuvaring because I thought it may be uncomfortable, I thought my partners may feel it or it would hurt them, and I wondered how well it could really work. I don't find it uncomfortable, my boyfriend doesn't feel it, and I have never had any pregnancy "scares" even though my boyfriend is kind of skeptical about how well it could possibly work. I did "lose it" once, and you have to put a new one in a wait 7 days with a new one in before using the Nuvaring as contraception again.


I do like the Nuvaring because:
-I don't have to take a pill, daily
-I didn't gain weight
-My skin was fine
-It was one of my better options as a smoker
-Its sooooo easy
-Helped with my cramps
-I have never had any discomfort (neither has my boyfriend or any other partners)

I do/did not like Nuvaring because:
-I abused it and it messed with my already irregular menstrual cycle
-It takes 7 days to regain effectiveness if you remove it/lose it (it is fine when it is used as directed)
-Stopped helping the pain and discomfort from my menstrual cramps after almost 3 years
-Expensive if your insurance doesn't cover it (I pay $8.30, but before my deductible is reached, I have to pay $87)

Jan 22, 2013

Myka D.

Thank you so much for such a thorough answer. I do the same thing and skip my periods in the pill by not taking inactive weeks and going on to the next pack. So I know all about that and do it too much too. lol. You definitely cleared up some of my concerns. I know it works differently for everyone but hearing a review as a direct response is much better than reading one online from a stranger who posted years ago .