WHAT ARE CONTRACEPTIVE PATCHES?
One Ortho Evra patch is worn each week for 3 consecutive weeks, usually on the lower abdomen or buttocks. The fourth week is patch-free to permit withdrawal bleeding. The 4.5 cm square patch delivers both estrogen and a progestin and this stops ovulation. Used correctly and consistently the patch leads to only 3 pregnancies among 1,000 women using patches for a year! You do not need a back-up method during the 7 patch-free days. Complete information about this method is available through your clinician and through the patch package insert. READ YOUR PACKAGE INSERT CAREFULLY! Ortho Evra patches lead to higher estrogen being administered to women than pills or vaginal contraceptive rings. Whether this leads to slightly higher risks for women using patches is not clear. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?: You don’t have to take a pill daily or interrupt sex to use a barrier contraceptive. Patches decrease a woman’s menstrual cramps and pain. Patches decrease the amount of menstrual bleeding and a w
