Why I Love the Nuva Ring
Some people like birth control. Some people hate it. Tons and tons of people are on it for a variety of reasons.
People are always shocked when I tell them I’ve been on the Nuva Ring for years…and am STILL on it. I’ve been on birth control of various sorts (different pills, the patch, the ring) for seven years now. I went off of it for 2.5 months this fall as a test…and guess who is planning to go right back on it?
I love that people assume that birth control is only used by women who are having sex with cisgender men. I haven’t been sexually active with a cisgender man AT ALL in two years (well, there was a kiss on New Year’s Eve last year), and haven’t had any type of sex that MIGHT possibly make babies in almost four years. Yet I’ve been on hormonal birth control for the better part of a decade.
Why? Because I get horrible, life consuming (and calling out of school/work) cramps pretty much any time I bleed. And the whole bleeding thing? Well, I’ve been off hormones from the Nuva Ring for about 75 days. I’ve been bleeding for at least 30 of them. My body doesn’t get it, never has. I first started on the pill because I had three weeks of bleeding in six weeks when I was 17. Yeah. I hadn’t been off the hormones since then, and clearly, it didn’t learn anything.
I wish there was a better answer than using CBC (continuous birth control) where I go from ring to ring, only taking a break to bleed twice a year, or when my body decides to tell the hormones “fuck you” and I bleed anyways. I wish I could get an IUD or an implant or something…but those are to prevent babies, not to stop your period, and that’s all I use BC for.
I hated the pill – I could never remember to take it at the same time, and if I was off by more than an hour or two, I’d start bleeding (I know, right?). I tried the patch, but a quarter of a corner would peel up, and bam – I’d start bleeding. I love the ring. I can accidentally leave it in an extra day, and it’s not blood bath and beyond right away. I never feel it. I just change it once a month. I’m one of the lucky ones who doesn’t get a headache from it, and it helps my skin out (as I figured out when I got off of it and suddenly had acne like I was a 15 year old again).
So I raise my glass to you, my $40 a month Nuva Ring. Thank goddess I found you so that I can function, and not be participating in Shark Week for a few weeks of every month. I wish you were cheaper, I wish I didn’t need you, I wish people didn’t make assumptions about me because I use you…but regardless, I am glad that you exist.
That is all.
-Essin’ Em
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My fiance likes the depo shot. It’s like Nuvaring but it lasts 3 months instead of 1 and its a bit cheaper too!
Unfortunately, Depo results in a much higher risk for osteoporosis. As that runs in my family, I can’t take it without REALLY upping the risk for me. And as a side note, most women avg 5-15 lbs of weight gain PER YEAR on depo. As I’m already over weight, that too is an issue for me.
So glad the Nuva Ring is working for you. My friend almost died using it, she got a blood clot. She left a comment as “Clotted Ex-Nuva Ring Wearer” on this post: http://thebeautifulkind.com/columns/tbk-saga/my-awesome-abortion
I’m delighted that my next form of birth control is going to be hormone free – V Day is next month!! And by V I don’t mean Valentines!
I love my cisgender MAN!
Hi,
I was going to comment with a lengthy and informative response of my experience but The Beautiful Kind kindly did it for me with the link to what I wrote for her and anyone else that would read it.
I can tell you this. Too many people have had experienced what I have or worse, including death. We all know that there are side effects to most birth control but this particular one has proven to put women in significantly higher risk.
Also, do to said experience, my doctor suggested the IUD. I LOVE IT! From what you wrote, I think you would too. When I had it put in, I did bleed quite a bit at first… I’ve had it now for almost 3 years and I have had no period at all for 2 years! Not a drop. I’ve asked about it and it apparently is quite normal.
I appreciate your enthusiasm for finding a product that works better for you but I urge you, please remove it now. There are other options that are effective and certainly more safe. No one should have to go through what I and the numerous of other women have.
Actually, the Mirena IUD does greatly lighten my periods. I hardly bleed at all anymore. On the downside, I had a lot of cramping for about a month after it was inserted while my uterus got used to it. If you’re interested I can tell you more about my experiences with it, I just don’t want to bore you if you’ve already ruled it out.
I have one of the newer IUDs with a tiny bit of hormones and I now bleed for a few hours every two or three months. I was on the ring for years and I was still getting absurd PMS so they popped the IUD in me. It’s not likely I’ll be having contact with semen in the near future, so no baby making here. I don’t know how it would work for three week long periods, but I bet someone out there might have some experience in that area.
I was also going to mention the Mirena IUD as something to consider. For most women, it reduces or eliminates their periods, and since it is releasing the hormones directly into your uterus, they’re a lower dose than other types of hormonal BC. Plus you can leave it in for 5 years and don’t have to worry about it at all. If it didn’t work for you, you could get it removed at any time. I have the other kind of IUD (Paraguard), but I know quite a few people who really like the Mirena. The only suggestion I’ve heard is to make sure your MD or NP leaves the strings long. The Mirena’s strings are fairly stiff, and I’ve heard that if they are too short, they can poke whatever body part someone is putting inside the vagina. :)
A – Thank you for concern, but I really don’t feel that anyone should tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. If you’ll recall, ALL hormonal BC (which is what I would have to be on) comes with many risk (look at all the suits against the patch, and now Yaz) – hormones can do some very messed up things. Depo also now has been proven to cause osteoporosis in many women. There is no 100% safe hormonal medication.
Everyone else -
I will look into the IUD again. It’s been more recently released, so I don’t know if I have enough background on it get on it, as it may be the next ring/patch/depo. Also, when I was having sex with cis-men, I had doctor’s telling me I couldn’t be on the IUD because a) I hadn’t had kids, b) wasn’t monogamous and c) wasn’t married. I still haven’t had kids, am non-monogamous, and am not married. Ergo, I may have the same issues. Also, I have been told there are problems with fisting when on an IUD, which is one of my favorite activities.
That all said, I feel you’ve missed the point of the post…which was talking about why a queer person who doesn’t have sex with cis men was on BC, and some of the struggles I face. Thank you though for your suggestions
I hate hormone birth control! It’s so insidious. Seriously, we have no idea what it is doing to fuck us up.
For instance, if you partner with a man when you’re on the pill, you choose a man who is more like a brother to you because your body already thinks it’s pregnant and it wants to be surrounded by people who feel familial.
Then when you go off the pill in a couple years, you lose interest in him and all of a sudden you get huge chemistry with someone else. People don’t realize the pill is a factor.
A lot of women on hormone birth control don’t get to experience the joy of chemistry, furiously sparking with a person.
Also, the pill can kill your sex drive, which is so unfair! We’ve got all those super horny dudes griping about their women with low libidos. How about the MEN get on some hormone birth control that kills THEIR sex drive?
Also, they tell you your bc might cause a 5 lb weight gain but SO many women experience 30 lb weight gain.
I had my Mirena IUD for 1 year and had it taken out when I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore. I thought the low level of hormone wouldn’t affect me, but it did, dammit.
I was considering copper IUD but don’t feel like bleeding for months. Your body has a foreign object in it and it is rejecting it, fighting to get it out. Puts stress on your body.
So my next bc is going to be a vasectomy, YAY!!! Finally his turn! Will be awesome!!!
Yes, hormonal birth control is the devil…. er, except when it isn’t, and is a lifesaver. And that’s all I have to say about that.
I think you won’t have a terribly hard time finding someone to put in an IUD, if you’re interested. I was non-monogamous, nulligravida (never been pregnant), and certainly not married. Mirena does end up with 50% of women with no periods after 1 year.
I heart my nuvaring myself- don’t trust myself with the pill, too heavy for the patch (not appropriate as birth control in women over something like 150 lbs), Mirena didn’t work out for me, and I’m not terribly interested in the under the skin insertables, or Depo (started going all hormonal crazy on it).
TBK- I believe if you look deeper, the studies do say that women pick men that smell more familial, but there’s a long path between “smells like family” and “will dump him in a hot second” post birth control.
And, if I may, the reasons behind women using birth control for reasons other than controlling birth is far more interesting than demonizing one of the most useful inventions of the last century.
I can’t handle synthetic hormones, I use a copper IUD for birth control (I’ve had no bad reactions to this) and usually when I have really bad periods, something is brewing emotionally in me. My background is in holistic medicine, so I’ve learned early on to listen to what my body might be trying to tell me, rather than giving it a pill to shut it up.
But to each his own, I totally get that sometimes its a pain to have to stop in our busy lifestyles and listen to our bodies, but for me its an integral part of living.
I don’t think TBK is demonizing birth control, but one thing I wish more women would realize is the power behind our cycles, we can become insync with eachother, the moon and many other factors, there is a reason why we do this. Synthetic hormones throw you off this cycle and onto something else that’s mechanized.
For me, my connection with the moon and other women in my life is more important than being what society defines as “functional”. I’m not a robot, I’m a human being. :-)
Interesting that this post had so much conversation.
BC works for some, and not for others. Having tried being off of it, and still bleeding all the time, I’m not really willing to try and commune with the moon. I think maybe if Q had regular cycles, we might be able to do something, but she has PCOS and only bleeds once every three months or so (and chooses not to use hormones, due to the changes they could enact, making her appear more feminine.
ALL drugs (including all natural ones) have interactions, side effects, etc. I know this, as should all of you. Some affect some people more than others. The IUD looks like it could be a good option, and may be worth trying. However, please remember that the older version of it sterilized, infected, and killed hundreds of women using it. Nothing is perfect.
The answer? Everyone should be involved in their own healthcare, whether you choose Western Medicine, Eastern Medicine, or a route of your own. We just should take what the doctors/nurse say at face value. It is YOU body, and you should get to have the knowlege and make those choices.
Plus, it’s fun to keep it in the cheese drawer!