Late putting Nuvaring

[MelanieK27]

Hey!

Thank you for providing this board and answering questions here.

I have already read one thread here with the same topic and the answer was, that it's only late after 12 hours or even more.

For me I actually had to put the ring back in at 11 AM and I could only put it back in at midnight. So in this case it's 13 hours late.

Unfortunately I can't get the morning after pill here.

In the internet there are so many different informations. Nuvaring itself writes that if the 7 days period is prolonged there is a risk of pregnancy. Some websites say 3 hours late is okay. Some websites say up to 24 hours late is still okay. And here in your forum I read up to 12 hours and maybe more.

What do you think about that it's 12 hours late? I am using Nuvaring for about 6 months now. I always use it for 3 weeks and then 7 days break.

Thank you so much for helping!

[Logan W]

Hi Melanie,

Welcome to the boards!

From what I've read on multiple websites, it seems that the grace period is anywhere from 12-24 hours. The most common grace period given is 12 hours and if it is more than that, then it's recommended to use an additional form of contraception (like condoms) for the next seven days as extra precaution.

Let me know if there are any additional questions!

[MelanieK27]

Thank you for the answer. That means using condoms is recommended but morning after pill is not needed, did I understand that right?

And most likely even condoms are not needed but only recommend for precaution to be as safe as possible?

[Logan W]

Hi Melanie,

The morning after pill would be recommended if sex without a second barrier or contraceptive method happens. I know you said in your original post that you are unable to get the morning after pill so I would strongly recommend on using a second contraceptive method, like condoms.

[MelanieK27]

Ah okay. I understand. My question was about the fact that I had regularly sex during the 7 days break without the Nuvaring. Of course I will use condom now for 7 days as a precaution but I was also worried about the fact that I had sex 1 day before I forgot to put the ring back in. I hope I explained it better now.

[Jacob]

Hey Melanie!

How long ago was the day when you had sex? I think if the manufacturers consider an 8 day gap to be risky, and while this doesn't exactly make it 8 days, it is close, I would err on the side of caution and treat this as a small pregnancy risk, especially if it's worrying you.

How long ago it was kinda dictates what your next step can be:

• If it was less than 120 hours (5 days) ago you could reduce the risk with emergency contraception, but it sounds like that isn't an option where you are, which I'm so sorry about. That really sucks!
• If it was more than 14 days ago you can take a pregnancy test, as by that time it will give you a good indication of whether a pregnancy has started.
• If it has been between 5 and 14 days then you will unfortunately have no way of confirming that you are not pregnant until after 14 days, when you can take a test. All you can do is cross your fingers and wait until the time comes. If the wait is stressful, remember you can set a calendar reminder, stay busy and distract yourself until then.

My guess is that the risk we are reducing here, is already a relatively low risk, especially compared to if you weren't using contraception at all, and in all likelihood the test will be negative. But if you want to be as certain as you can be that you aren't pregnant you would need to take that test.

As there are no 'periods' on the nuvaring, there is some overlap between your situation and the scenario in this piece: The Pregnancy Panic Companion: When a Period Isn't Late or Missed - however, waiting 14 days and taking a test will probably have you covered!