The vaginal ring (NuvaRing), explained

The ring gives you the same hormones as the combined pill, but you only think about it once a month.

What it is

NuvaRing is a soft, flexible ring you place inside the vagina yourself. It releases an oestrogen and a progestogen, absorbed through the vaginal wall. You leave it in for three weeks, take it out for a ring-free week when you usually get a bleed, then put a new one in.

How well it works and how it feels

Used correctly it is over 99 percent effective. Most people cannot feel it once it is in, and it does not interfere with sex. If it comes out, it can be rinsed and put back within three hours. The knack is inserting and removing it, which is straightforward once you have done it once or twice.

The pros and cons

The pros: only once a month to remember, steady hormone levels, discreet, and periods that are usually regular and lighter. The cons: you need to be comfortable putting it in and taking it out, some people notice more discharge, and rarely it can slip out. Like any combined method it is not suitable with migraine with aura, smoking over 35, a history of blood clots, or certain other conditions, which the doctor checks. It does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.

How to get it with us

Start a short online assessment. A doctor reviews it for safety, and if the ring is right for you, we dispense it and deliver it to your door.

These methods work by keeping your ovaries switched off. It takes about seven days of hormones to do that, and about seven hormone-free days for them to wake up again. So the hormone-free break is the weak point: never let it run beyond seven days. A missed pill in the middle of a pack is fairly forgiving; a missed pill just before or after the break is the real pregnancy risk. Read the seven-day rule explained, or what to do if you miss a pill.