Weddingbee boards

As with any pharmaceutical birth control method, there are going to be side effects. Some women will experience more than others which is why it is great to hear what other women experience. Even if we never had a particular side effect, it doesn't hurt to have knowledge should we start experiencing those symptoms or know someone who is. It could save a life.

That said, I loved Nuvaring. I was on it for almost 2 years. It was easy and effective, it was fabulous. During my time on the ring, I started to develop a slight tenderness in my sides, especially when I was feeling under the weather. Around the 2 year mark I got really sick. I ended up going to the ER because I was unable to keep anything down and I was running a fever that over the course of 3 days went from 'oh, i should try to get this down' to 'wow, that is really high!'. When I got to the hospital they ran bloodwork and found that my lipase levels were more than 4 times the normal level. (Elevated lipase levels are indicative of pancreatic malfunction, normally pancreatitis.) Since I was not a heavy and/or binge drinker acute pancreatitis didn't really fit my situation. Again, I didn't really fit any of the profiles of someone with chronic pancreatitis. The only medication I was taking at the time was the Nuvaring and so the doctor read all of the really, REALLY fine print on the medicine. As it turns out, pancreatitis is a potential side effect of the ring. I was told to remove the ring immediately. Over the next week or so I got better from the cold/flu that had taken me to the ER and within a month of being off of the ring my lipase levels were down dramatically. It took over a year for them to get back into normal range.

Meanwhile, I was off of all forms of pharmaceutical BC in order to 'flush' my system. After my levels were back within normal range, I sought BC again as I really needed to regulate my cycle. My gynecologist wanted to confirm that it was the ring that had caused the pancreatitis before exploring other options as I have some other issues that preclude me from using higher dose BC methods such as the pill--even the low dose pill as it is still higher than the ring. So, I had my lipase levels checked (normal), used the ring for 1 month, had my lipase levels check again and they were way above normal, almost 2 times what they should have been. I went off of the ring for a couple of months and my levels went back down.

I do not tell this as a horror story or to say that everyone who uses Nuvaring will get pancreatitis, but I do urge ANYONE on ANY form of BC to be realy vigilant in paying attention to your body. Even though commercials and doctors will tell us the 'usual' side effects of a medication, it is very possible to be that 1 in 10,000,000 that experiences a whole different side to the medication.

My thoughts on the Nuvaring? It is a form of BC I would encourage just about anyone to explore.