SaraC--Good question! I just finished my first cycle on NuvaRing and had been wondering the same thing. I am a little squeamish with poking around down there (I know, I shouldn't be...) but inserting and removing the NuvaRing weren't nearly as bad as I expected. The ring is a little more stiff than I expected...I was expecting a jelly bracelet but it's a good bit more rigid. You just have to squish it together and then insert it like a tampon, but way back into the canal. I was so proud of myself when I put it in, but as soon as I stood up I could feel it and knew it wasn't in far enough. I pushed it back as far as I could, and then I couldn't feel it at all! Three days later I got paranoid about whether it was still there because I couldn't feel it. I almost thought it was gone when I checked because I forgot how far back it was! Luckily it wasn't going anywhere; also I couldn't feel it at all, even during sex! (Neither could FH!)
Taking it out was a little more difficult because you have to hook it around your finger to pull it out...I was mostly afraid of scratching myself with my fingernail! It took a few minutes to remove, but I think after a few more months of practice I'll be more proficient.
I never had any problems remembering to take the pill, but I did suspect that it was making me moody. So I am on the NuvaRing as an experiment (cleared with my doctor, of course!) Since the NuvaRing lives in your vagina, it requires a lower dose of hormones to prevent pregnancy than the pill does. Therefore it can cause fewer side effects. At this point I'm not sure if NuvaRing is making me less moody than the pill, but I sure do like it! If you're already on the pill, it's pretty easy to switch...just talk to your doctor, and then on the day you would take your first pill, you put in the NuvaRing instead. It's definitely worth a try!
