Contraceptive Patch: No One Would Ever Know that you are Using it
A child is a bundle of joy which parents look forward to. But this may not be the case always. There are situations when a pregnancy is unwanted and the couple may decide either to postpone the pregnancy or not have a baby at all. While the reasons for such decisions can be both medical and personal, the fact remains that there are several contraception options available today, which can be used both by men and women. A contraceptive patch, as the name suggests, is a contraceptive device, used by women.
The first question that bothers most of us is what makes a woman choose the contraceptive patch in lieu of the pill or the condom? Of course there are other contraceptive methods also available including vaginal rings and intra-uterine devices, etc. Though the oral contraceptive pill has come a long way since its introduction decades ago and despite the fact that there are a number of low-dose pills which have been introduced, many women fear the consumption of pills for the side effects. These include forgetting to take the pill, weight gain, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), ovarian cancer, nausea and more. The condom on the other hand can interrupt sexual pleasure for many couples.
The contraceptive patch, in this regard is relatively non-cumbersome and more user-friendly. It is a transdermal contraceptive device that releases two basic female hormones – estrogen and progestogen (both synthetic) to prevent conception. Considered at par with oral contraceptive pills in terms of efficacy, the patch is used for three weeks in a month with a break of 7 days in between. Of course, not the same one patch but three different patches are used, each lasting for a week. This is the reason why contraceptive patches are packed in boxes of three, as it can last a month.
There are two basic reasons why the patch has gained popularity, other than its side effect profile. Firstly, the woman does not have to remember to take it everyday. This increases user compliance. Once the patch is on her skin, she can forget about it for 7 days, till it is time to change to the next patch. The second reason is the total confidentiality and privacy it assures the user. Since the patch can be applied in some of the most innocuous areas of the body including upper outer arm, buttocks, abdomen or thigh, she can easily keep her contraceptive choice a secret from her partner. This confidentiality is precious to many women.
The contraceptive patch has ushered in a new era in the field of women's contraception and hopefully over the years, this will overtake the use of pills in terms of user preference.
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The risk of developing deep vein thrombosis is the same for oral contraceptives and a contraceptive patch. It is not the method of delivery that predisposes to DVT, rather it is the hormones that are being delivered.
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