Periods and the birth control ring

[Tomatochan]

Hi folks,
I just started on the nuvaring birth control ring and have taken it out for the first time to get my menses in the 4th weem. I'm fairly certain I'm not pregnant, but was wonder g roughly how long it takes after removal for my period to arrive. I took it out at 8 this morning and I'm not really sure when to expect it. I don't know if it's worth mentioning but I've had breakthrough bleeding since week 2. I was wondering about your experiences with the ring and getting your period. From what I understand it was dually comes after a day of removal, but I'm not sure since I am drawing this conclusion from very few accounts! Should I have gotten my period by now? Thanks!

[Sam W]

Hi Tomatochan,

It's unlikely that your period would start only a few hours after taking out the ring, since your body needs some time to process and respond to the change. So it's likely that it will start within the next day or so. The other bleeding you've described is one of the possible side effects of the ring, and is unlikely to be cause for concern.

How are you feeling about the ring so far as a method? Do you feel like you trust it?

[Tomatochan]

Thank you for your response, I guess I should expect it sometime tomorrow. I supoose I should have remembered that hormonal process are pretty slow acting. I like the ring so far and do trust it, but would still want to combine it with condoms because I get pretty anxious about making sure I don't get pregnant. However, I'm only using it because I was unable to get an IUD at the moment. I'll probably stop using it once I'm able to get the Mirena IUD layer this year.

[Sam W]

Got it, glad to hear you're liking it as a method and that you're planning to use condoms as a back-up. Too, if you currently have a sexual partner, you and they can talk about what sexual activities do and do not set off your anxiety. That way, you're only engaging in sexual things that you're comfortable with.