amandalynferri asked: How does a Nueva Ring work?
Nueva ring! I really hope this catches on!
A Nuvaring, like other female birth control, uses the lady hormones Progesterone and Estrogen to essentially “trick” the body into thinking it is already pregnant. (a quick shout out to pulling out: I don’t consider you to be birth control.) It releases a constant stream of Estrogen and Progesterone-like hormone over the course of the month, preventing a woman from releasing another egg. This is the same signal a newly-fertilized egg will send to the body. It also prevents the uterus from developing it’s lining, so that’s why a woman’s periods are lighter when she is on birth control. Think about it: the uterine lining thickens to create this nice healthy home for a potential fetus. If your body has been hormonally duped into thinking there is already a fetus kicking around in there, it’s not going to labor over building up the uterine lining a ton. Also these hormones make your cervical mucus thicken, which prevents the growth of uterine lining. Pretty sick, right? (No seriously, tell me if I’m making you sick.)
Why is this important? Imagine if you could get pregnant while pregnant. Barf! And I’m not just talking about the double morning sickness. Or the cervical mucus.
