More and more university women are looking to take birth control off their minds and put it somewhere else entirely, according to the University Health Center’s 2004-2005 annual report. The report shows requests for the birth control patch increased 4.2 percent from the previous year, and requests for the NuvaRing, a small, flexible ring inserted into the vagina to release hormones, increased 140 percent.

The NuvaRing, which received FDA approval in October 2001, is left in the vagina for a month where it releases estrogren and progestin, the same hormones found in the pill and the patch. The University Health Center started prescribing and carrying the ring in the pharmacy in June 2002.

Tara Torchia, the University Health Center’s coordinator of sexual health, said one of the main reasons more women are moving away from the pill to alternate forms of birth control is that hectic schedules make it hard to remember to take a pill at the same time everyday, which is necessary for the pill to be most effective in preventing pregnancy.

“People nowadays have so much on their plate, it’s hard for them to remember to take a pill every day at the same time,” Torchia said. “With the patch and the ring, they had another option. They didn’t have to remember to take a pill every day.”

Nancy Atkinson, an assistant professor in the Department of Public and Community Health, who will be teaching a women’s health class this semester, said many women liked the results they were getting with the pill, but found it didn’t fit their lifestyle.

“For people who might not be in a long-term relationship, it might be easier to stop taking it,” Atkinson said. “They don’t want to be on the pill if they are not in a relationship.”

Atkinson added that a student’s lifestyle might make finding a consistent time to take the pill a challenge. Students are busy, they don’t always eat dinner at the same time and some days they want to sleep in, which makes finding a set time hard, she said.

The pill can also cause side effects such as depression, acne and yeast infections, Aktinson said. “NuvaRing may offer a way to have an effectiveness with less of the side effects.”

The Health Center started to see an increased demand for NuvaRing after the company launched a huge marketing campaign that started last January, but really took off in August, Torchia said.

“NuvaRing came out before the patch, but a lot of people never really heard of it,” Torchia said. “They started this amazing marketing campaign. They pumped so much into Cosmo, Glamour, all the women’s magazines, and we started having women coming in and asking about it and asking for it.”

Torchia added that another possible reason for the increased demand for NuvaRing might be a result of an FDA study that showed the patch may be linked to blood clotting. However, she added, people with a medical or family history of blood clots could be at risk with any form of hormonal birth control.

Women who wanted to switch from the patch tended to favor the NuvaRing because, similar to the patch, it wasn’t something that needed daily attendance, Torchia said. Side effects of the ring include water retention, mood swings and extra vaginal discharge.

The only other non-daily option for birth control was the Depo-Provera injections, which are credited with having more adverse side effects, Torchia said.

“The market weight gain associated with it is much more significant than other hormonal methods,” Torchia said. “It increases appetites so they eat more and gain weight. Studies show weight gain averaged 15 pounds per year each year you are on it, which is a huge disadvantage especially in college where there are a lot of issues surrounding weight in this population.”

Another problem with the injections, Torchia said, was increased moodiness and depression.

“We had women coming in who gained weight, were clinically depressed and had extreme mood swings, and they just didn’t like that,” Torchia said.

As far as effectiveness goes, when used correctly, Torchia said the pill, patch and ring all had similar levels of effectiveness, but the ring left the least room for human error.

Torchia also added that birth control doesn’t protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

When choosing a method of birth control, Torchia and Atkinson agree the decision usually comes down to what works best for each woman, based on lifestyle and the number of side effects.

“Women have to find one they can use consistently or easily,” Atkinson said.

BIRTH CONTROL OPTIONS

The Ring The Patch The Shot The Pill

Brand Names NuvaRing Ortho-Evra Depo-Provera Yasmin

Usage monthly weekly every 12 weeks daily

Effectiveness 99% 99% 99.7% 95-97%

UHC Cost $10 $37.5 $85.29 $10-30

Market Cost $40-45 $40-45 $100 $35-50

Contact reporter Jess Milcetich at milcetichdbk@gmail.com.