Table of ContentsView All
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Table of Contents
Safety & Effectivenss
How to Wear It
Side Effects
Who Should Avoid It
Period on the Patch
Where to Get It
A birth control patch is a sticky patch applied to your skin (transdermal) to deliver hormones that can prevent pregnancy. Nobirth control medicationis 100% effective, and transdermal contraceptive patches are just one option for contraception and preventing pregnancy.
This article will explore the safety and efficacy of birth control patches, who can use them, and what to expect if you use transdermal contraception.
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Safety and Effectiveness of Birth Control Patch, Compared to Pills
Its manufacturer discontinued Ortho Evra after the FDA warned the excess level of hormones from the patch are associated with a possible increased risk of blood clots and required the company to make multiple additions to its warning labels.Ortho Evra was the first of its kind, and many birth control patches have been released since then.
The two available on the market today are:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that birth control patches are around 93% effective in preventing pregnancy. This is about the same efficacy asoral contraceptives. In comparison, injectedprogesteroneis about 96% effective, and contraceptive intrauterine devices (IUDs) are about 99.9% effective.
How to Wear the Birth Control Patch
Birth control patches are worn on the skin of your lower abdomen, buttocks, or upper body; they should not be applied to the breast. Patches are usually self-adhesive andrelease hormones through your skinin a measured amount over a week.
Each week for three weeks, you will remove the old patch and place a new patch in a different spot. A patch is not worn on the fourth week of your cycle so that you have a menstrual period.
Specific instructions for use will depend on the patch, but they are usually placed on the skin on the first day of your period, and the patch-free week at the end of the cycle triggers menstruation.
What Side Effects Does the Birth Control Patch Cause?
Some side effects of using a birth control patch can include:
Most of theseside effectsare common to other forms of birth control or hormone replacement therapy and result from higher levels of reproductive hormones in your body. Side effects specific to birth control patches usually involve skin irritation or intolerance.
Some severe effects associated with birth control patches and other hormonal contraceptives include:
Why Does Birth Control Make You Moody?
Who Shouldn’t Wear the Birth Control Patch
Due to the specific side effects associated with hormonal contraceptives like the birth control patch, people with the following conditions should not use transdermal birth control.
People who smoke cigarettes are also discouraged from using hormonal birth control due to an increased risk of developing blood clots.
Forgot to Replace Birth Control PatchIf you forget to remove a patch, you can take it off as soon as you remember, but you may want to call your healthcare provider to ask about the timing of your next patch since it can change the efficacy of your birth control. Changing your patch schedule may mean you can get pregnant with unprotected sex (also referred to as condomless sex). In this case, abstinence, barrier methods, or emergency birth control medications are recommended.
Forgot to Replace Birth Control Patch
If you forget to remove a patch, you can take it off as soon as you remember, but you may want to call your healthcare provider to ask about the timing of your next patch since it can change the efficacy of your birth control. Changing your patch schedule may mean you can get pregnant with unprotected sex (also referred to as condomless sex). In this case, abstinence, barrier methods, or emergency birth control medications are recommended.
What’s a Period on Birth Control Patch Like?
Hormonal birth control canchange your menstrual cycle, regardless of the form you use, since it can change the hormone levels that dictate the flow and length of your period. Spotting and bleeding between periods may occur with birth control patches, and you might notice changes in the timing and intensity of your periods when you use hormonal contraception.
Where to Get the Birth Control Patch
Hormonal birth controlin the United States is only available with a prescription from a healthcare provider—though that could soon change with the FDA’s July 2023 approval of the first-ever non-prescription birth control pill.
How much you pay for birth control will depend on your health care plan or coverage under a public health plan like Medicaid. There are also government and non-profit programs that can help supplement or offset your costs for birth control.
A visit with your healthcare provider will be the first part of your birth control cost, ranging from $35 to $250 per appointment, though it may cost more. Each pack of patches (three patches total for a month of protection) will cost around $150, but many private and public health plans cover the total cost of contraceptives.
If you can’t afford a visit with a healthcare provider or the cost of birth control, Planned Parenthood and similar organizations can help you find a solution that fits your budget.
Summary
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Ortho Evra (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol) information.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA-approved drugs.Planned Parenthood.Birth control patch.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Contraception and birth control methods.National Library of Medicine - Daily Med.Twirla: Levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol patch.National Library of Medicine - Daily Med.Xulane: Norelgestromin and ethinyl estradiol patch.MedlinePlus.Estrogen and progestin (transdermal patch contraceptives).Planned Parenthood.What do I do if I make a patch mistake?Planned Parenthood.Birth control patch.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first nonprescriptive daily oral contraceptive.Planned Parenthood.Where do I get the birth control patch?
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Ortho Evra (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol) information.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA-approved drugs.Planned Parenthood.Birth control patch.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Contraception and birth control methods.National Library of Medicine - Daily Med.Twirla: Levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol patch.National Library of Medicine - Daily Med.Xulane: Norelgestromin and ethinyl estradiol patch.MedlinePlus.Estrogen and progestin (transdermal patch contraceptives).Planned Parenthood.What do I do if I make a patch mistake?Planned Parenthood.Birth control patch.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first nonprescriptive daily oral contraceptive.Planned Parenthood.Where do I get the birth control patch?
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Ortho Evra (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol) information.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA-approved drugs.Planned Parenthood.Birth control patch.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Contraception and birth control methods.National Library of Medicine - Daily Med.Twirla: Levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol patch.National Library of Medicine - Daily Med.Xulane: Norelgestromin and ethinyl estradiol patch.MedlinePlus.Estrogen and progestin (transdermal patch contraceptives).Planned Parenthood.What do I do if I make a patch mistake?Planned Parenthood.Birth control patch.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first nonprescriptive daily oral contraceptive.Planned Parenthood.Where do I get the birth control patch?
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Ortho Evra (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol) information.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA-approved drugs.
Planned Parenthood.Birth control patch.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Contraception and birth control methods.
National Library of Medicine - Daily Med.Twirla: Levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol patch.
National Library of Medicine - Daily Med.Xulane: Norelgestromin and ethinyl estradiol patch.
MedlinePlus.Estrogen and progestin (transdermal patch contraceptives).
Planned Parenthood.What do I do if I make a patch mistake?
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first nonprescriptive daily oral contraceptive.
Planned Parenthood.Where do I get the birth control patch?
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