birth control method - the patch

[bumcat]

Does anyone have any information on the patch versus the birth control pill? pros and cons. thanks

 

[Dan Murphy]

The patch for smoking vs bc pill for prevention of pregnancy? You have me confused on the question. Maybe I am out of the loop.

 

[bumcat]

Sorry Dan - There is now a patch you can wear for birth control.

 

[CarolA]

Dan,
They now have a patch for Birth Control. Supposedly you put a new one on each week and you are protected. This way you don't have to remember to take a pill.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Ahhhh, I see. You just have to remember to put one on once a week. Well, my thought would be, if it is as, or more effective, and has equal to, or less side effects, it is good. JMO, as an out-of-the-loop guy, LOL.

 

[ChibiJones]

I just saw an ad for it the other day & I was thinking of asking my doctor about it. It would be so much easier to just remember a patch rather than a pill everyday. My biggest concern would be whether or not it's as effective as the pill. I just started law school & there is no way I could handle getting pregnant.

 

[Dopeygirl]

I remember seeing this a year or so ago and thought it looked cool. I know they say its really effective but I'm still a bit nervous about it since I don't personally know anyone who's used it. But its on my list to speak with my doctor about when I go for my yearly. But I'm not sure if it'll work for me, as I use the pill for treatment of my edometreosis also.

Sounds interesting, though! I'm eager to see ow receptive people are towards it.

 

[caitycaity]

i'm not scheduled for my annual appointment until march, but i'm definately planning on asking my doctor about it. in the meantime i'm trying to find out more about it too. besides side effects and effectiveness, i'm also wondering how long it takes to get out of your system when you want to go off of it and have a baby.

 

[ratsrule]

I am just wondering where they put said patch

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

I believe you wear the patch on your lower abdomen - near your "bikini" line.

I believe that the ingredients in the patch are the same ones used in the pill. The main difference is the delivery method - with the patch it is a constant delivery at a very small dose as opposed to the pill where you get a large dose every 24 hours.

I would think based on what I know about this type of delivery method (but I am NO expert) that anyone successfully using the pill should be able to convert to the patch without any significant loss of effectiveness in either birth control or treatment (e.g. for endemetriosis). In fact, it may even be that you get better results with the patch since you are getting a constant dose rather than a fluctuating one. There are probably instances in which it may not work as well (generally over a certain weight, some medication patches may not work as well etc.) so that would also need to be investigated.

However, as I am not the expert , I would definitely discuss all of this further with a professional to get the conclusive answers.

 

[CamColt]

In the commerical I saw it said it can be worn "here, here, or here" showing pictures of the lower abdomen, the butt and the upper chest(near shoulder almost). My first thought was wont that look awfully strange?

 

[MosMom]

I just saw an ad for something that is monthly too. It isn't a patch, it is some sort of internal ring. I was going to ask about that too. I read the patch is just as effective though.

We were talking the big V word but both of us wouldn't mind a 3rd child and the only thing stopping us is finanaces so we decided to hold off on that because who knows what the future has planned. Maybe we'll win the lottery...it could happen!

 

[ChibiJones]

MosMom,

I believe that's the Nuvaring. It also releases hormones, but it does it from inside the body rather than outside.

 

[Colleen A.]

I was watching tv with my son (12) earlier today. I know he knows all about the "birds and the bees" but I don't think everything has quite clicked yet. He is sitting there watching the commercial. He says to me "What's that for" "To keep you from having a baby", I answer. "Oh. So you can have 'the S word' and not get pregnant" (those are his words! ). "Yes" He then gets this confused look on his face, "If you were doing it to have a baby anyway, then why bother?!". I don't think he understand there's more to "the S word" than procreation!! I guess that's a good thing!!

 

[ASFCurly]

I just saw a commercial for the patch and the spot on the shoulder was actually on the back, not the front, and it gave a web site. It was orthoevra.com

 

[NHAnn]

LOL Colleen A...you HAVE to write that one down so you can remind himof that in a few years

I'm beyond the BC years, having had a hysterctomy last year...but in evaluating hormone replacement I learned that there is a "patch" for HRT as an alternative to oral HRT pills. Generally speaking the advantages of this delivery system are: the steady dosage as opposed to the once a day peaking of the medication as mentioned by a poster above, the "remembering" part...though with HRT some women have to change their patches twice I week..I'd have more trouble with that then with daily I think LOL; and also, with the patch, the hormones are absorbed through the skin and hence do not have as much effect on the liver as when swallowed. A drawback to the patch is the adhesive used in some brands. Some people are sensitive to it and it causes irritation, other people have trouble with some brands of patches "un sticking" as the week goes on. Some of the brands are really tiny...it is really not noticeable , worn usually on the abdomen, lower ab, or buttocks or lower back.

 

[Princess_Aurora]

Ortho-Evra I think it's called. I'm on it!

It's just as effective as the pill and you only have to change it once a week on the same day and on the forth week you don't wear one at all (kinda equivalent to the sugar pills at the end of your BC pills but in this case you just don't bother with anything.)

It can be worn on your upper arm, your shoulder blade, lower abdomen and your rear end. Your suppose to change where you put it every week so it does't cause any irritation to the place you put it.

If you're like me and you worry about it not staying on the whole week (like I was sure it would come off after a couple of showers) don't be. Those things stick to you like super glue!

If you have any other questions about it, just ask. I got a nice little informative booklet about it with my perscription along with a super nice case to keep my patches in. I thought it was pretty neat

 

[caitycaity]

yeah, i also heard a program on npr a couple days ago about nuvaring. it sounds like it has the same benefits as the patch (constant low-level instead of fluctuating levels like the pill) instead it is inside instead of out.

thanks for the link.