More Nigerian women are using vaginal ring for family planning

The vaginal ring is a small, flexible ring a woman inserts into her vagina once a month to prevent pregnancy. It is left in place for three weeks and taken out for the remaining week each month.


Majority of breastfeeding women in Nigeria and a few other African countries are using the progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) for family planning, a report shows. PVR is a contraceptive designed specifically for use by breastfeeding women in the first year postpartum.

Research by by US-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) shows PVR is an acceptable method of contraception in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal and other developing countries. The report notes that 89 per cent of women reported high rates of satisfaction with the method after three months of use, which increased to 98 per cent at six months.

The study also found out that more than 70 per cent of the women found the PVR easy to insert, remove and reinsert. Furthermore, these proportions rose the longer the women used it. The study was done by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with PRB and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

According to the research, users, their husbands and their providers find the PVR acceptable for breastfeeding women. There is widespread community support for the product and it is feasible to integrate into existing health systems.


 According to the study, unique features of the PVR that drove users' choice were that it is user-friendly,  can be user-controlled (35 per cent), is short-acting (10 per cent) and can be used while breastfeeding without detrimental effects (six per cent). Four per cent of users reported the originality of a new technology.

A majority of women did not report at all, that the ring came out of their vaginas, although five per cent did.

Half the women reported that they had felt the ring slip occasionally. However, with provider guidance and their own experience, they learned to reinsert or reposition the ring, so they did not feel it slipping.

The PVR is safe to use during intercourse.