Providing the Combined Vaginal Ring

Explaining How to Use

Explain how to insert the ring	She can choose the position most comfortable for her—for example, standing with one leg up, squatting, or lying down. She should press opposite sides of the ring together and gently push the folded ring entirely inside the vagina. The exact position is not important, but inserting it deeply helps it to stay in place, and she is less likely to feel it. The muscles of the vagina naturally keep the ring in place.

Explain that the ring must be left in place for 3 weeks	She should keep the ring in place all the time, every day and night for 3 weeks. She can take the ring out at the end of the third week and dispose of it in a waste receptacle.
She should take out the ring for the fourth week	To remove the ring, she should hook her index finger inside it, or squeeze the ring between her index and middle fingers, and pull it out. She will probably have monthly bleeding this week. If she forgets and leaves the ring in for as long as a fourth week, no special action is needed.
Ring should never be left out for more than 3 hours until the fourth week	The ring can be removed for sex, cleaning, or other reasons, although removing it is not necessary. If the ring slips out, she should rinse it in clean water and immediately reinsert it.