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vaginapagina2006-07-01 11:52 am
dearanxiety.livejournal.com) wrote in vaginapagina2006-07-01 11:52 am
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ways to use the nuvaring!
after a very in depth conversation with my ob-gyn and the midwife in the office yesterday i feel pretty well-informed on how the nuvaring works, and i thought it might be helpful to have some of the information i received in one post because it seems like people ofte have questions about this. i am also a librarian, and did a lot of research on my own before i even decided to start using it (6 months ago) and the doctor just confirmed what i'd already figured out.
basically, this is the information that is available now, based on studies and approval in other parts of the world, about how you can use the nuvaring effectively (in terms of weeks on and off) regardless of what the u.s. directions might say.
we already know that the ring is effective for 4 weeks (in terms of dispensing hormones to the body). and we mostly know all that i'm putting in this post. but like i said, thought i'd be helpful to have it clearly stated in one place!
three options:
option one - wear it as directed. three weeks in and one week out. three weeks with hormones, and one week without hormones. you should bleed during that fourth week. you will be protected through the four weeks, continuously.
option two - wear it for four weeks, and then remove it for one week. you will bleed during that fifth week. this puts your body on a five week cycle instead of a four week cycle, but you will remain protected for the entire time continuously.
option three - wear it for four weeks, and immediately insert a new ring when those four weeks are up. you won't bleed at all and you will be protected continuously. at some point you might spot, and my doctor recommends that if that happens, you could take the ring out (at whatever point you are in the cycle) and leave it out for one week, allowing yourself to bleed. it's not necessary, but she recommends it. after the week insert a new ring and leave it in for four weeks (repeating the original process).
i use option three and it's been great! i bleed every 3 to 4 months and it has really helped me with pre-menstrual migraines that i used to get during my week off of hormones. now that happens a couple times a year instead of every month!
ok, hope this was useful to someone. feel free to delete if you feel it's extraneous.
basically, this is the information that is available now, based on studies and approval in other parts of the world, about how you can use the nuvaring effectively (in terms of weeks on and off) regardless of what the u.s. directions might say.
we already know that the ring is effective for 4 weeks (in terms of dispensing hormones to the body). and we mostly know all that i'm putting in this post. but like i said, thought i'd be helpful to have it clearly stated in one place!
three options:
option one - wear it as directed. three weeks in and one week out. three weeks with hormones, and one week without hormones. you should bleed during that fourth week. you will be protected through the four weeks, continuously.
option two - wear it for four weeks, and then remove it for one week. you will bleed during that fifth week. this puts your body on a five week cycle instead of a four week cycle, but you will remain protected for the entire time continuously.
option three - wear it for four weeks, and immediately insert a new ring when those four weeks are up. you won't bleed at all and you will be protected continuously. at some point you might spot, and my doctor recommends that if that happens, you could take the ring out (at whatever point you are in the cycle) and leave it out for one week, allowing yourself to bleed. it's not necessary, but she recommends it. after the week insert a new ring and leave it in for four weeks (repeating the original process).
i use option three and it's been great! i bleed every 3 to 4 months and it has really helped me with pre-menstrual migraines that i used to get during my week off of hormones. now that happens a couple times a year instead of every month!
ok, hope this was useful to someone. feel free to delete if you feel it's extraneous.
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i've noticed that last couple of months that by the end of the 4th week i start to get headaches but once i have the new ring in i start to feel better.
i'm also not cramping as much as i had been when i was on the patch. do i still cramp? of course, i have endo and i cramp a lot but it's nowhere near as bad as it had been.
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yay us!
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yay yay yay us!