Thank you for reaching out to us.
Because it is placed internally, blood found on a NuvaRing after removal is treated stringently, like blood on a
bedikah cloth.
If the blood was a
niddah color, then it made you
niddah.
The exception would be if you could establish that there was a non-uterine source for the bleeding, typically based on an internal exam by a doctor or
bodeket taharah (
niddah nurse). An exam could also provide medical information in case this recurs. See our page on
dam makkah (blood from a wound)
here, for more information. Then please get back to us with details.
If you are in fact
niddah, you have two options regarding the
NuvaRing:
1) You could remove the ring you recently inserted and discard it. If you do this, you will likely get a withdrawal bleed, which will overlap with the time you are in
niddah due to the blood you found on the ring you removed. You would insert a new ring after a one-week break (according to package instructions)
2) You could leave the new ring in as planned. This might help you to get to mikveh several days earlier than if you allow yourself to get a withdrawal bleed. On the other hand, you might have a higher chance of spotting during the
clean days.
As you noted, in the future it would be advisable to remove the ring in the dark to avoid finding blood on it. However, this is not a halachic requirement and we hope you are not too hard on yourself for finding it difficult to remember this time.
Please don't hesitate to follow up with us.