Birth Control NuvaRing Side Effects: What to Expect and How to Manage Them

Flexible and latex-free, the NuvaRing birth control is a vaginal ring that slowly releases estrogen and progestin to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. You have to insert this hormonal contraceptive in your vagina and keep it for 3 weeks and remove it in the fourth week. Use a new ring from the fifth week and continue protecting against conception. Like every other form of birth control, there are side effects of NuvaRing as well – some common, some rare, etc. Today, we will throw light on birth control ring side effects and how you can manage them.

NuvaRing Contraceptive Common Side Effects

The common NuvaRing side effects include the following:

• • Changes in emotions or moods
• • Vomiting and nausea
• • Changes in libido
• • Irregular vaginal bleeding
• • Acne
• • Breast pain or tenderness
• • Abdominal pain
• • Depression
• • Ring falling out
• • Headaches including migraines
• • Vaginal injury due to broken ring
• • Painful menstrual periods
• • Vaginal discharge
• • Weight gain
• • Irritation and discomfort in the vagina

Less common NuvaRing birth control side effects are:

• • Fluid retention
• • Vaginal yeast infection
• • High blood sugar, more common in females with diabetes
• • Blotchy skin darkening
• • High cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood
• • Problems wearing contact lenses and eye discomfort

How to Tackle the Side Effects of NuvaRing?

Let us understand some birth control ring side effects in more detail and how to cope with them safely, in the below section:

1. Acne

Even during periods, women may get hormonal acne. These acne breakouts are moreover because of hormone imbalance. To manage them, physicians may suggest hormonal birth control methods. However, one of the side effects of NuvaRing is acne, so women with hormone imbalance may encounter more acne than usual in some cases, but not always. It depends on how well your body adjusts to the contraceptive and how it reacts to it.

However, since the ring also ensures hormonal balance, it can further reduce acne and its breakouts. So, you can still get NuvaRing prescription online as it is a safe choice for women wanting to guard themselves against pregnancy as well as tackle their acne problem.

2. Irregular Periods

One of the NuvaRing common side effects is inconsistency in periods. There is a chance of breakthrough bleeding or spotting between the periods when the woman is not on her menstrual period. The bleeding can be like slight staining, vaginal reddish discharge, or more like a regular period. For some women, this may continue throughout, which is not a health concern though. There is a change in flow and length of period for some females. However, there is a presence of a period if one stays off the ring in the fourth week.

You may even miss a period but are not pregnant when using NuvaRing. However, it is advisable to get a pregnancy test in such cases to confirm conception. Also, if the ring is out of the vagina for longer than 3 hours, there is a heightened risk of pregnancy. You must begin with a new ring in such cases, rather than using the old one. Also, use a male condom for the initial 7 days of starting with the new product.

3. Yeast Infections

Hormonal imbalances may cause yeast infections. Even slight changes in the hormone may lead to such situations. As side effects of the vaginal ring may induce hormonal shifts, women may encounter yeast infections at times. While balancing the hormones, the contraceptive may sometimes cause a spurt in the hormone levels, but that normalizes gradually. You must keep a check on the following symptoms and consult a professional in case of discomforts such as vaginal itching or burning, foul or unpleasant vaginal odor, thick white discharge, problems during penetrative intercourse, or red swollen vagina.

Knowing the Serious Side Effects of NuvaRing

There is a black box warning from the FDA for the birth control NuvaRing, especially for women who smoke heavily (15 or more cigarettes per day), or those over 35 years of age. You may have to call for medical help in case of the following:

• • Cardiovascular issues such as heart attack, cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, thromboembolism, thrombosis, or high blood pressure
• • Hepatic adenoma
• • Porphyria
• • Erythema multiforme
• • Depression
• • Cholestasis
• • Hypersensitivity reaction
• • Pancreatitis
• • Ocular lesions
• • Toxic shock syndrome (TSS)
• • Gallbladder disease
• • Anaphylaxis or anaphylactoid reaction

How to Manage the Unusual Side Effects of NuvaRing?

While NuvaRing effectiveness is undisputed, sometimes the rare side effects are a concern and must be dealt with at the earliest. Here are a few that need attention:

1. Toxic Shock Syndrome

TSS can lead to severe damage and illness because the bacteria cause toxicity in the blood. This is because sometimes the ring placement can lead to harmful bacteria growth, especially if not removed on time i.e. keeping the ring inside longer than 3 weeks. To curtail the side effects of NuvaRing, you must remove the ring on time, and if it falls out in between only reinsert after taking proper precautions to ensure the ring does not contaminate. Keep a look out for warnings such as high fever, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea, dizziness, sunburn-like rash, fainting, and confusion. Seek medical assistance immediately.

2. Blood Clots

Another NuvaRing birth control side effect is the formation of blood clots in women at a higher risk of clotting, those who are obese, older than 35, smoke, or with a bleeding disorder. The risk is higher for blood clots if a person starts using the ring and then discontinues it after a month of use or even less, and then starts with oral birth control pills, or later on reverting to NuvaRing after a long interval. Some risks associated with blood clots are deep vein thrombosis, loss of eyesight, pulmonary embolism, brain stroke, or heart attack.

The side effects of NuvaRing i.e. blood clots may give prior warnings, so keep a lookout for symptoms such as changes in vision, persistent leg pain, weakness or loss of feeling in your limbs, shortness of breath, difficulty speaking, sudden headaches that turn quite painful, chest pain, or pressure in the chest.

3. Depression

If you are wondering what are the side effects of the NuvaRing after the above discussion, you can include depression. We are not talking about the usual changes in the mood but depressive symptoms. While mood shifts are common and not harmful in the long run, some women who experience depression may need consultation with a professional. The symptom is moreover because of hormonal adjustment. Females with a history of depression are at a higher risk of this incident. It is best to deal with depressive symptoms as soon as they emerge.

To Conclude

Now that you understand what are the side effects of the birth control ring and how to manage the common and serious ones, you can safely use the product and get NuvaRing online by being self-informed and continuing with protection against pregnancy.