Western Oregon Journal

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(U-WIRE) FULLERTON, Calif.—The Food and Drug Administration approved the first birth control pill in 1960, revolutionizing family planning. Forty-four years later, the first competition to rival the pill’s effectiveness and ease of use was introduced in the form of a once-a-week patch, known as Ortho Evra.

ABC News recently reported that the patch poses high risks to women under 35, with 17 known deaths and 62 life-threatening complications, including blood clots, directly related to the patch. What few people might know is that there is another birth control option that might be easier to use while also being safe and apparently just as effective as the pill or the patch. This option is the once-a-month etonogestrel/ethinyl estradiol vaginal contraceptive ring called the NuvaRing.

The ring is the latest revolution in contraception, and it is the only form of birth control that works by slowly releasing hormones through the vagina. The ring is made of a nonbiodegradable, flexible, transparent, colorless two-inch long ring that time-releases the hormones progesterone, etonogestrel and estrogen over a three-week time period.

The hormone release is activated by contact with the vagina. The walls of the vagina hold the ring in place while absorbing the hormones and distributing them into the bloodstream. Studies completed by the manufacturer, Organon, resulted in 99 percent effectiveness when used as directed. The ring has half the estrogen of commonly used oral contraceptives with fewer side effects and fewer hormonal ups and downs.

One drawback of the ring is that some women are not comfortable touching themselves to insert and remove the ring. Side effects are minimized due to the lower hormone dose that is released through the vagina but can include vaginal infections and irritation, vaginal discharge, headache, weight gain and nausea similar to the pill.

“A birth control ring? That sounds a little scary,” said Desiree Garnica, a California State University at Fullerton student. “I guess it’s good if it is a new option, but I never heard of it.”

Garnica is not alone. Few women seem aware of the NuvaRing as an option. Newport Beach gynecologist Dr. Charles Moniak, said “the NuvaRing’s manufacturer -- Organon -- lacks the advertising budget of birth control giants like Ortho Evra.”

“The NuvaRing cannot compete with the mass marketing of patch yet,” said Moniak.

Moniak said he hopes to see more marketing put behind the product in the future.

Thirty years between innovative birth control progress has left some women ready for options.

“I did not like the hormonal effects and moodiness I got while using the pill at all,” said Michelle Cathorall, a Cal State-Fullerton health science major. “I tried the ring, and I like it. It works great, and I didn’t have any side effects. The low hormone dose is much better.”

Physicians look forward to providing more options in birth control for the patients as well.

“My patients love the product and its ease of use. Word of mouth is getting out and more patients are beginning to request the NuvaRing. It is inserted in the vagina and left in for three weeks, then removed during the first week to allow the menstruation cycle,” said Dr. Carole Jordan-Harris of Los Angeles, who is one of the doctors that participated in the NuvaRing’s clinical trials. “It is effective immediately once inserted. Few women and their partners have reporting feeling the ring or any discomfort from using the ring. A new ring is inserted after menstruation ceases.”

Organon is not new in the birth control market. The company created the first low-dose hormone Desogen for birth control pills that was copied and reproduced by other larger pharmaceutical companies with bigger budgets, explained Dr. Jordan-Harris. In the U.S., Organon focuses on three critical areas of women’s health: contraception, fertility and hormone replacement therapy.

Janet Emery, a nurse at the Cal State-Fullerton Student Health and Counseling Center, said the ring has been offered on campus for one year and is sold for $3 per ring. A ring will last for about one month.

A low-cost pap smear and a gynecological exam are required to get the ring at the health center.

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