Top Takeaways
- Ringza is a long-term vaginal contraceptive ring that will compete with NuvaRing and has similar efficacy to an oral contraceptive pill.
- Ringza is reusable and can be washed and re-inserted for up to 13 cycles, allowing for more convenience than NuvaRing that requires disposing of each month and regular prescription refills.
- Ringza could be costly to replace if it’s lost or damaged.
Ringza (ethinyl estradiol/segesterone) will be a new long-term vaginal contraceptive ring.
Think of Ringza as similar to NuvaRing (ethinyl estradiol/etonogestrel). They’re both vaginal rings that are inserted by the patient with 21 days “in” and 7 days “out” for each cycle.
The efficacy of Ringza or NuvaRing is similar...about the same as an oral contraceptive pill.
But a big difference is that Ringza is a REUSABLE vaginal ring that is cleaned and reinserted for up to 13 cycles...and NuvaRing is disposed after every cycle.
Expect Ringza to be an option for patients who prefer a vaginal ring and don’t want to worry about contraceptive refills like with NuvaRing.
Ringza costs about $380/ring, or $29/month...versus about $21/month for NuvaRing. But Ringza could be costly to replace if it’s lost or damaged.
When you get an Rx for Ringza, help ensure proper use.
Enter a 364 days’ supply for most Ringza Rxs...since the med lasts for 13 cycles and each cycle is 28 days.
Keep Ringza at room temp...NOT in the fridge like NuvaRing.
Send patients getting Ringza to the pharmacist for counselling about proper use.
For example, patients will need to clean Ringza with unscented mild soap and pat it dry before each insertion AND after each removal...and store it in its case at room temperature for the “out” days.
Also patients will need to use a backup contraceptive if Ringza is out for more than 2 hours per day during the 21-day “in” period.
Pull in your pharmacist if the patient picks up an oil- or silicone-based vaginal product (K-Y Silicone, etc) since these may reduce Ringza’s efficacy. Patients using Ringza should stick to water-based vaginal products instead (K-Y Sensual Silk, etc).
See our chart, Comparison of Oral Contraceptives and Non-Oral Alternatives, for more details about how Ringza stacks up.
- Archer DF, Merkatz RB, Bahamondes L, et al. Efficacy of the 1-year (13-cycle) segesterone acetate and ethinylestradiol contraceptive vaginal system: results of two multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 3 trials. Lancet Glob Health. 2019 Aug;7(8):e1054-e1064.
- Black A, Guilbert E; Co-Authors; Costescu D, et al. Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Canadian Contraception Consensus (Part 1 of 4). J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2015 Oct;37(10):936-42.
- Gemzell-Danielsson K, Sitruk-Ware R, Creinin MD, et al. Segesterone acetate/ethinyl estradiol 12-month contraceptive vaginal system safety evaluation. Contraception. 2019 Jun;99(6):323-328.