Contraceptive patch benefits include:
- Preferable for women who don’t like taking or swallowing pills
- You don’t have to do something every day, as you would with a daily contraceptive pill
- Easy to apply and wont interrupt sex the same way a condom might
- The contraceptive patch hormones are absorbed directly to the bloodstream, not through the stomach as is the case with pills. So if you vomit, your protection isn’t affected
- It can positively impact periods, making them more regular, lighter and sometimes less painful
- Can help with premenstrual symptoms (PMS)
- May reduce the risk of ovarian, uterine and bowel cancers.
Contraceptive patch disadvantages include:
- You can’t just apply the contraceptive patch and leave it indefinitely; you need to change it every week. Longer-term methods of birth control include the ring (changed once a month) or the implant or IUD, which must be administered by a nurse or doctor
- Certain medications can make the patch less effective or increase the risk of certain side effects
- Spotting between periods is common when you first start using the patch
- When you first start applying the patch, you may experience certain side effects that tend to go away after using it longer-term. Examples include headache, nausea, breast tenderness and changes to the mood
- The patch doesn’t protect you against sexually transmitted infections
- It can cause irritation or soreness to the skin, but you can avoid this by switching up where you apply the patch each time
- Depending where you put it, it might be visible to other people