New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Making the contraceptive procedure simpler for women, a US based pharmaceutical company Wednesday launched a birth control vaginal ring that it claims has no side effects.

Launched by pharmaceutical company Organon, Nuvaring is a flexible, transparent ring made of inert plastics. The ring contains hormones that enter the bloodstream directly, thus inhibiting ovulation.

'Nuvaring makes the contraception procedure simpler for women. Instead of taking a pill every day, the ring needs to be inserted once every week. Three weeks of insertion followed by one week ring-free interval is the procedure that needs to be repeated every month for a continued contraceptive effect,' said Urvashi Jha, director of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Max Healthcare.

K.G. Ananthakrishnan, managing director of Organon (India), said: 'Around 20 percent women use contraceptives in India. The ring will be good as does not have any side effects and will not cause obstruction in any other routine activity.'