Having a bit of discharge while using NuvaRing?

This is all normal. The increase in discharge is probably due to the fact that you have a foreign object in your vagina and so the vagina, as a self cleansing organ, is trying to "wash" it out by increasing discharge. The ring turning yellow is normal too. It is just yellowing to exposure to the air and vaginal fluids. You should be copiously wet in response to sexual stimulation and it will be a clear fluid. This is normal and expected in a healthy woman. Sexual stimuli should bring forth fluids to make penetration easier. A dry vagina is usually a sign that a woman is not as sexually excited as she should be or could be (unless it is due to hormonal changes as in the case of menopausal women) You write that "when you are not using protection" do you mean using Nuva Ring but without a condom? Because you ARE protected by Nuva Ring. In this case you should say "without barrier protection" not "without protection" so as to not confuse. Condoms can cause much more friction than the naked penis and that friction can cause a lot of "drag" on the vaginal mucosa plus many women find condoms to be unpleasant and with that, she doesnt get fully aroused and this can cause the dryness. Now that you are not using condoms you have less frictional "drag" and you are more aroused and therefore wetter. Birth control hormones can sometimes dampen the sex drive. Hormone changes that trigger ovulation also trigger high desire for sex at that time. This assures that humans reproduce. Some contraceptives do this worse than others (dampen desire). If you find Nuva Ring is dampening your desire, you might ask about a different method. It sounds like you are not altogether fond of this method. Every method is not for everybody-that is why there are so many different kinds of contraceptives. What all have you tried and do you plan to have children in the future and when? These are questions to ask of yourself and those answers should be communicated to your Dr to let him/her know what kind of protection is best for you at this time. If you dont plan to have children any time in the near future, perhaps something like Implanon/Norplant might be good for you. The up side is once it is implanted into the skin in your upper underside of your arm, you forget it for 3 years. You dont have to remember pills or remember when to remove and replace a ring. The downside is that for many women it causes irregular bleeding. It will usually cease menstruation for the first year then as hormonal levels begin decreasing periods may begin again and may be somewhat irregular. Depo-Provera is similar. A woman needs an injection every 3 months then usually her periods will cease but in the early stages of use she may have periods of heavy irregular menstruation until her body adjusts then most women cease having periods as long as she keeps up with injections every 3 months (every 13 weeks or so) Depo-Provera has been shown to cause some bone demineralization after long term use so it is only recommended for about 3 years use. Implanon/Norplant do not do this. Once the 3 year period is up, another device can be placed. Many women who chose to have long term birth control like Mirena or other IUDs. These can last up to 5 years before needing replacement. The downside is, again, heavy and irregular bleeding. This usually resolves in time but may start again when the device is replaced. If you plan to get pregnant in the next year or two, you wont want long term birth control so you may consider birth control pills (or the Pill). The Pill is very effective but one does have to remember to take a pill each day. There are different formulas and strengths so if you experience decreased desire, you may be fine if you change formulas. The good thing about the Pill is that, when you are ready to try for a baby, you can just quit at the end of your cycle and not start a new pack. Most women will begin ovulating again fairly quickly. If the Pill is not for you, and you have already tried Nuva Ring, there is also Ortho Evra (the Patch). Perhaps this might be an option. Edcuate yourself about the pro's and con's to each method. The website for Planned Parenthood has a lot of really good info on each kind of contraceptive or just google (or Bing) "contraceptives" to get info-just try to use sites that are reputable-WebMD, Mayo Clinic, any "National" association sites etc. You can get info on sites selling the product but remember that they are selling the product and tend to stress the good points more than the undesirable points. Once you are educated on the methods, talk to your gynecologist or other reproductive healthcare provider, and decide which method might work best with your lifestyle. If you do not plan to have any more children and you know FOR SURE that you dont want anymore kids then sterilization might be the way to go. You can consider male sterilization (vasectomy) or female (tubal ligation). These are permanent. (there have been some successful reversal surgeries but it many cases, these surgeries dont work well so you MUST consider it permanent) With sterilization, there is no need for barriers (if you are monogamous) and no need for hormones or chemicals in your body. It all cycles naturally, it is just that the "pathway" has been surgically interrupted or blocked so that sperm are not passed or the egg cant go through the fallopian tube and be fertilized. If you are done having kids altogether, I highly recommend sterilization. I had my tubes tied almost 19 years ago after my second baby and I have not looked back. I was unhappy with contraceptives and never could find one that did well for me. Hormones aggravated migraines and I despised barrier methods so sterilization is what finally made sex enjoyable for me and I never had to worry about pregnancy or think about contraception again!