What about the patch?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2004
What about the patch?
18
Fri, 10-01-2004 - 4:18pm
HI,

I have recently had a baby, (her name is Margot Elizabeth and she is 5 weeks today!) and now I need to find a new birth control that works for me. I was on the pill, took it regularly, and still got pregnant. I was told that this is because I didn't use a back up method while on an antibiotic. Still, I am worried about the pill not being affective for me. While my DBF and I are very happy with our children, we do not want any more for 5 years or so. Since I am no longer breast feeding, I would like to try the patch (Ortho Evra), but I really don't know much about it besides what I found through this web-site. Any patch users care to comment?

Thanks!

-Rachel
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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-13-2004
Wed, 10-13-2004 - 1:16pm
i started the patch about 3 months ago as an alternative to the up & down emotions i was having from the pill. the emotions have evened out, but i gained over 10 lbs. and my breasts are always tender. for the first 2 weeks i was so dizzy. i felt like i was on a boat for days! these effects are, of course, different for everyone and you may be fine. the patch sticks well and any residual goo left from the previous week's patch is easily removed with baby oil. it is easier than the pill, but i am not happy at all with the weight gain and tenderness.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2004
Thu, 10-14-2004 - 8:17am
Hey all,

La Vonda, just so you know - the patch is effective after only a WEEK of using it, so you should be completely fine by now.

As for my experience with the patch, it's been good so far. But then again I've only been on it for about 3 weeks, but it is a hell of a lot more convenient than the pill. All you really need to do is check it once or twice a day to see if it is okay (i.e. hasn't moved, etc.) and if it is wrinkled you just have to smooth it out for about 10 seconds and it should be fine. It has been fine after I've worked out and after I've showered, etc. I was on the pill before and was experiencing a diminished libido so my gyno recommended the patch, since it is the birth control with the LOWEST amount of hormones.

I had gained about 5 pounds from being on the pill so we'll see if the patch helps or increases this problem, although if it has a lower amt of hormones hopefully it will help me lose or at least maintain my weight. It's no big deal though since most of it goes straight to your boobs anyway, hah!

Anyway, I hope this is helpful. The patch seems to be a good match for me so far!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-05-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 5:20pm
If it moves, you should try it on a different part of your body. My roommate wears hers on her abdomen because she tried it on her butt but it slid around too much. I wear mine on my butt, but when I tried it on my abdomen for a change, it moved around too much and hurt to peel off.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-05-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 5:24pm
Hi.. I was thinking that it's possible that the side-effects might lessen up a bit. I gained about 10lbs myself, but then after a few months lost a few. I have breast tenderness once in a while--I'd say about three days a month of pretty noticeable tenderness. And sometimes when I start my first patch, I feel warm for the first day and may have a little uneasiness in my stomach, but that goes away.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 6:09pm
Hey! Wow what a chain we've got here!!! Let me start off by saying that there are pro's, con's, up's and downs to EVERY birth-control. Every person is different and so as far as side effects go, that is simply up to your own body.

I have tried the pill and the patch, and now i am on depo-provera. I liked the patch just because i didn't have to worry about it every day, however, it did have trouble sticking around the edges and i placed it in every location offered. Obviousely from the other responses, that is not true for everyone, but it was with me and i couldn't put my faith in it totally when it wasn't sticking to my skin. I figured if it wasn't sticking, it wasn't getting into my system and i was impecable with applying it perfectly and i have very dry skin, not oily. at least with the pill i knew it was in my body...if i could remember to take it.

My gyno finally talked me into using depo-provera...which so far is my fave!!! i have read lots of yucky responses to this product by others, but it seems to work well for me. I wouldn't take the whole weight gain thing too into consideration, unless gaining more weight is going to affect your health. As long as you have an active lifestyle, excercise, and eat right, weight gain shouldn't be that big of an issue, because there is a risk for that with any method of hormonal birthcontrol you choose. Also- depo isn't right for you unless you are wanting a more long-term control method because it is very powerful and it is not like the pill or patch where you can stop taking them and bam your preg. it usually, but not in all cases, takes a little while to concieve after getting off of depo. however, it is basically idiot proof and it is always there without having to worry about taking it or if it is getting into your body. One shot...it's there.

Anyway...hope all of our advice helps!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-03-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 6:27pm
i'm a big fan of the patch, been on it for over a year now. i used a few different types of pills, but i never took them on time, not even close. at that time i wasn't sexually active anyway, i was using BC for other means (regulation of period, cramps, etc). wen i became sexually active i was already on the patch for over 6 months, and i always use a condom anyway. thats my choice to double protect. the patch always sticks well for me, and it wrinkles sometimes, i asked my dr about that and he said it's not a big deal, as long as it' sticking. i switch cheeks every week ;) right left right! every experience is different though, so id say give it a shot. as for the poster w/ the blood clot, that's not a usual occurrence, and is actually a side effect of most birth controls, from wut i have read. a rare, unfortunate case. smoking does increase ure chances, and there are weight limits as well. so i definitely recommend it, i never have forgotten, since its just once a week. i do it every friday morning wen i get up, and slap a new on and hop in the shower. pressing it for about 15 seconds or so wen u first put it on helps, and wen u first go to the bathroom/remove clothes (depending where it is) dont tear off too fast, bc at first it's pretty stick around the edges so u could pull it off if you rip ure clothes off to harshly. so just for the first day b careful around it, by then the extra stickyness around it wears off and u have not a thing to worry about!


<3cari

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 7:59pm
I noticed no one else seemed to have this side effect: break-through bleeding. I was praying the patch would work for me. I have two little kids and just don't want to deal with the hassle of remembering the pill. At my 6 week post partum appt, I begged my ob for it right away! :) But I ended up having terrible break through bleeding. I was going through a super tampon in one hour for over 24 hours. And that wasn't while I should have been bleeding. That was mid-month. I didn't have any other effects that anyone posted. But I do know that the estrogen level was too high for me. I have since gone back to my original pill - ortho tri-cyclen. That level of estrogen works well for me.

But as others posted, it is so personal, what works right with your body's chemistry. Best of luck! I wish it had worked for me!

Diane

Momma to Sweet Pea, Baby Cheeks, Snuggle Bug and Little Guy
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-21-2003
Thu, 10-21-2004 - 11:12am
I LOVE the patch. I've been on it for nearly a year and am completely sold on it. Previously I had been on a variety of bc pills for about 7 years. I switched to the patch just because I thought it sounded neat -- I wish I had done it sooner. My moods completely leveled out, I no longer have cramps and I actually LOST weight. I've never had one come off, despite the fact that I work out 5 nights a week and sit in a hot tub pretty much on a nightly basis. Just my two cents worth -- hope you like it too!!

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