By now, you may know everything about condoms and the Pill, but there are two new contraceptives you�ve probably never heard about�the NuvaRing and Ortho Evra, which were recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both are hormonal contraceptives for women only. The NuvaRing is a flexible, clear, plastic ring that measures two inches in diameter. It contains the same hormones found in birth control pills�estrogen and progestin.
Here's how it works. On or before the fifth day of a woman�s menstrual period, the NuvaRing is inserted into the vagina where it remains for three weeks. It�s removed at the start of the fourth week, causing menstruation. The NuvaRing is a 98-percent-effective form of birth control, but it does not provide protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
The Ortho Evra is a 20-square centimeter patch that also contains estrogen and progestin. On a weekly basis, a woman wears the patch on her buttocks, abdomen, upper torso or arm. The patch is replaced on the same day of the week for three weeks in a row. No patch is worn on the fourth week, causing menstruation. Although providing no protection against STDs, Ortho Evra is 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. And it even has a nickname: the �pill in a patch.�
The NuvaRing and Ortho Evra will become available sometime in 2002. You can get a prescription from your doctor or health care provider. Click here for more information on the NuvaRing, or call 1-877-NUVA-RING (6882-7464). Click here for Ortho Evra, or call 1-877-BC-PATCH (227-2824).
�Lauren Elkinson, 18
