NuvaRing and Unprotected Sex: Pregnancy Risk After Removal

Question
i started a new nuvo ring cycle on a friday and then had sex the following monday without a condom.  we removed the ring during sex and then afterward forgot to put it back in.  as soon as i woke up i replaced it, and have not taken it out since.  ive been using the ring for years, but what are the chances that i could get pregnant this month because of leaving it out for that long?? (probably about 6-8 hours)

Answer
Dear Jalise,

If the Nuvaring has been out of the vagina for more than three continuous hours during the 1st or 2nd week of use, contraceptive effectiveness may be reduced. In this situation, the ring should be reinserted as soon as possible and use an extra method of birth control, such as male condoms and/or spermicide, until the ring has been used continuously for seven days. If you did not use a back up method, you may have been susceptible to pregnancy.

You will need to test for pregnancy to know for sure. Although some tests claim accuracy on the first day of a missed period, I usually suggest that women wait until the week after a missed or spotty period before testing for pregnancy. This tends to minimize the incidence of false negative results and also avoids wasting money on a test for a simple delay of a period by a few days. When/if you test make sure to use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results.

(FYI - for future reference - If NuvaRing has been out of the vagina for more than three continuous hours
during the 3rd week of the three-week use period, the woman should discard that ring. One of the following two options should be chosen:
1. Insert a new ring immediately. Inserting a new ring will start the next three-week use period. The woman may not experience a withdrawal bleed from her previous cycle. However, breakthrough spotting or bleeding may occur.
2. Have a withdrawal bleeding and insert a new ring no later than seven days (7x24 hours) from the time the previous ring was removed or expelled. This option should only be chosen if the ring was used continuously for the preceding seven days.
A barrier method such as condoms or spermicides must be used until the new ring has been used continuously for seven days.)

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda