Vaginal Ring Troubleshooting

What do I do if I forget to put the ring back in after my ring-free week?

If you are more than 24 hours late:

• insert it as soon as you remember
• use condoms for the next 7 days

If you had unprotected sex during the ring-free week and were late putting the new ring in:

• you may be at risk of pregnancy - you could use the emergency contraceptive pill

What do I do if the ring accidentally comes out?

If the ring has been out of the vagina for less than 24 hours:

• rinse it with cool water and put it back in as soon as possible
• you will still be protected against unplanned pregnancy

If the ring has been out of the vagina for more than 24 hours:

• rinse it with cool water and put the ring back in as soon as you remember
• use condoms for 7 days

If the ring has been out of the vagina for more than 24 hours during the first week and you have had unprotected sex in the previous 5 days you could use the emergency contraceptive pill.

If the ring has been out of the vagina for more than 24 hours during the third week:

• put in a new ring straight away and leave it in for the next 3 weeks
• you may get some spotting

What do I do if I forget to take the ring out after 3 weeks?

If the ring was left in for more than 3 weeks but less than 4 weeks:

• take it out and put a new ring in when you were originally meant to
• leave it in for the next 3 weeks

If the ring was left in for more than 4 weeks:

• take the ring out and put a new one in straight away
• use condoms for the next 7 days
• if you have had unprotected sex in the previous 5 days - you could use the emergency contraceptive pill

If you are not sure what to do:

• talk to a doctor
• talk to a Family Planning NSW nurse
• call the Family Planning NSW Talkline on 1300 658 886 for advice

For more information

Family Planning NSW Talkline - www.fpnsw.org.au/talkline or 1300 658 886
National Relay Service (for deaf people) - 13 36 77
TIS National's interpreting service - 131 450
Visit your nearest Family Planning NSW clinic - www.fpnsw.org.au/clinics
Family Planning NSW client resource on contraception - What suits me?