Shortened Periods On Nuvaring - Help!!!!! Posted: 10-23-07 08:30am
Hi all.
I've been a Nuvaring user for about 6
months now, and, all-in-all, it is an
acceptable method for me. I have a great
deal of trouble during my ring-free week,
though, with horrible cramping, bloating,
and mood swings. This month, I couldn't
take it anymore and inserted a new ring
after a five-day period. My question is
this; can I then follow my usual set
scheledule with the Nuvaring? With a
five-day break I would still follow the 28
day sheledule, but instead have it in for
23 days, out for 5. I have heard there is
an extra week of hormones in each ring. Of
course the first 7 days of this regimen I
will use condoms as an extra precaution. I
really need help, because some people are
telling me this isn't safe, and others are
not! Really I follow my insertion dates to
the letter, and would do the same with
this program.
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Tylanas
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Posted: 10-23-07 10:24am
You need to keep it in for the full set of
days, otherwise it is not as effective.
Never shorten the active cycle. You can
shorten your period all you want, even to
the point of not bothering to have one,
but you must keep the ring in for the full
number of days. How many days is the ring
supposed to be in?
When you put in the new ring you do not
need to use condoms as long as you kept
the previous ring in for the required
number of days, no longer, no shorter.
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Georgia59
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Posted: 10-23-07 12:28pm
If you want to skip your period you can
keep the ring in for four weeks (no longer
though!) and insert a new one right away.
Like Eiri said, shortening your period
won't matter.
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bellydancer7
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Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Posts: 29
Posted: 10-23-07 18:00pm
Well that's what I want to do, is shorten
my period.
The directions say to keep it in for 21
days, then take it out for 7, making it a
grand total of 28 days. What I want to do
is keep the ring in for 23 days, and have
a 5 day period. This is possible only on
the assumption that the ring contains a
total of 28 days of hormones.
Talking with Nuvaring professionals, they
said I could only use as directed, and
advised against anything but 21 days in, 7
days out. But my mood swings are so bad in
the ring-free week.....
Really I follow everything to the letter.
I think they make the pattern so, of
course on safe effectiveness, but also
because it's easy to remember and a set
scheledule. But I keep a very tight
scheledule with my birth control, and do
not deviate from it.
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Tylanas
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Posted: 10-23-07 18:05pm
DO not leave it in for 23 days!!! Take it
out after 21 days, wait ONLY 5, and then
put in a new one. Like we said, you can
shorten the off days as much as you want,
but you absolutely cannot extend the in
days.
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bellydancer7
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Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Posts: 29
Posted: 10-24-07 07:55am
Thanks for your help. I had heard you
COULD leave the ring in for up to 28 days
and be protected; that's why I was
fiddling with it. It's not worth the extra
worries, though. I'll go back to the 21
in, 7 out, so I can get on with my life.
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Georgia59
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Posted: 10-24-07 12:12pm
Yeah Eiri you can, it says you can in the
packaging. If you start a new ring right
away, instead of getting your period, just
like taking all active pills and not
placebos.
There are enough hormones in the ring to
last for four weeks, or so the package
insert says.
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Carifairy
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Posted: 10-24-07 13:51pm
NO NO NO!!!!!
YOU CAN EXTEND NUVA RING!!
The hormones in it are actually effective
for 35 days, which is why I recommend to
my women who want a cheap alternative to
SKIP periods.
She CAN leave it in LONGER if she wishes.
You can always TAKE MORE PILLS, or leave
your ring in longer, you just CANNOT
EXTEND THE PLACEBO WEEK!
YOU can extend hormones all you want, just
do not extend the 'nuva ring free' time.
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bellydancer7
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Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Posts: 29
Posted: 10-24-07 19:49pm
I appreciate all your imput. I do want to
extend my hormone days, and maybe in the
future I will. Right now, though, I'm
gonna stick to the packaging. When I put
my ring in two days earlier this month, I
had pretty bad nausea and headache.
Whether that be from the hormones or all
this silly worry, unable to tell. We
women, I believe, with knowledge and
careful planning have more control over
our fertility than many professionals
might have us believe. No disrespect to
the medical profession, but they
standardize stuff more than neccecarily it
has to be. When the nurse I consulted with
said that I might get pregnant by
shortening my hormone-free periods, it
made no sense to me. Why would you be
"safer" when you would spend more time
without birth control? But, I got on this
medication so that I could erase all
(most) doubts about pregnancy from my
mind. If a doctor says the only way I can
be safe is by following a standardized
regimen, then maybe it's in my best
intrests to do it, even if I have to
suffer.
By the way, the Nuvaring official help
line will not confirm that there is extra
hormones in the ring, even though their
website basically says there is.
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bellydancer7
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Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Posts: 29
Posted: 10-24-07 20:00pm
by the way again, the nurse at the
Nuvaring website says I have to use backup
protection for 7 days since I shortened my
ring-free week to 5 days. I have a
speculum, and everything seems to be going
like normal, but that's what she said....
Argh! You're killin' me here!!
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Georgia59
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Posted: 10-24-07 22:26pm
don't trust the website, they're just
afraid of getting sued.
You can trust cairfairy, she works in the
field. She's as good as asking a doctor on
these types of things.
And if you read the packaging carefully,
what it says is not to leave it in longer
than four weeks. So there you go, you're
fine.
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Carifairy
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Posted: 10-25-07 11:43am
You can shorten your pill/ring/patch free
week all you want! You just cannot extend
it beyond 7 days.
Just like you can use Nuva ring for 22
days, 23, days...until it is used up..
But you cannot use any less than 21 days,
or you compromise protection.
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Carifairy
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Posted: 10-25-07 11:46am
Here is the rule with BC That I tell my
women...
Rule of thumb
"No less than 21 days on your birth
control method(pill, ring, patch), and no
more than 7 days of a 'period week"
Other than that, you can do whatever you
want as long as it follows that
guideline!
You do not need 7 days of protection
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bellydancer7
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Posts: 29
Posted: 10-26-07 06:50am
Thank you Carifairy.
I'm getting a book in the mail about birth
control and a "well-timed period." I
really want to know my body better and
understand my reproductive cycle. Birth
control gives us a lot of options. Really
I am glad I bought the speculum and read
up on fertility signals. It has been a
great relief to know these things. I'm
going to follow Nuvaring's set scheledule
and then later, after checking with the
doctor at Planned Parenthood, extending my
cycle. If I did the 28 day in, 7 out
routine, I would save over $100 a year!
Plus less moody period times to worry
about. Thanks again.
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Carifairy
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Posted: 10-26-07 14:11pm
Being on birth control makes you
temporarily infertile, so the same fertile
signs to not exist..
I wanted to warn you in case you noticed
anyhting strange about your cervical
mucous..etc..
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Georgia59
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Posted: 10-26-07 15:15pm
That's true- when you're on birth control
you shouldn't experience any of the
fertility signals, and if you do, they
don't really mean anything.
Good for you for getting educated though!
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bellydancer7
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Posts: 29
Posted: 10-27-07 09:53am
No I haven't noticed anything strange. To
the contrary, during my "active" time, not
much is going on. I don't want to freak
anybody out with details, but "mucus plug"
should answer all doubts. Nothing else is
going on. Once I know that is in place, I
am relieved.
