There are two contraceptive patches in the US available: Xulane patch and the Twirla patch.
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Xulane: This patch contains 150 micrograms of norelgestromin (a progestin) and 35 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol (an estrogen). It is applied weekly for three consecutive weeks, followed by a patch-free week.
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Twirla: This patch delivers 120 micrograms of levonorgestrel (a progestin) and 30 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol daily. Similar to Xulane, it is used weekly for three weeks with a subsequent patch-free week.
- Do not place the patch on your breasts. But you can wear on your belly, your butt, or your back.
2. Contraceptive patches may be safer than an oral contraception, with respect to your liver function, for instance blood clotting factors are not usually significantly affected, but they are less likely to increase with a patch than with oral contraceptive pills. The liver function is is not affected by where you place your patch.
3. When you take a patch off, you need to place one the same day, just not on the same spot that you just removed a patch.
4. There probably is no research that tells us what the blood level of hormone is going to be based on where the patch is placed. The hormone is taken up by the skin, not specifically by fat, muscle, nor bone. For most medicated patch wearers (contraceptive patches included) there may not be a lot of difference between an abdomen, or thigh or arm (other than how much stickiness it has), or a lot of differences that will make changes to the effectiveness or to the numbers of your side effects. When very precise studies are done there is a bit less absorption is usually the abdomen, relative to the place like the buttock. This probably has to do with the amount of fat, the way the patch lays, all sorts of variables.
5. Detachment, or literally not sticking to the skin properly, of the patches occurs about 5% of the time, and doesn’t seem to relate to where it is place.
You Can Move a Patch Around
6. The contractive patcheswill still stick well in it’s new spot even if worn already for a few days.
7. If you have not skipped more than 2 days of patch, you probably are still protected against pregnancy, if you find it has come off and you weren’t sure when.
8. Try to find a spot that doesn’t regularly rub on your bathing suit, yoga pants waist band, or that you rub against, such as with piercings or jewelry.
9. Patch users, like oral contraceptive users, do occasionally report breast discomfort, although typically they have less breast discomfort than women not on any hormones. Location of the patch has no effect on the amount of breast fullness, discomfort, nor tenderness.
10. Exactly what is best will be unique to you. The intra-subject steroid level variability is very high, no matter where the patch is.
Always be on the look out for the next best thing! One researcher is testing contraceptive patch that is like an earring! Your natural hormone levels may be different than another patch user’s contraceptive hormone’s levels. So if you have questions, come in to ask us!
