The contraceptive patch (Evra), explained

If you like the idea of the combined pill but would rather not take a tablet every day, the patch does the same job once a week.

What it is

The Evra patch is a small beige square you stick on your skin. It contains the same two hormones as the combined pill, an oestrogen and a progestogen, and releases them through the skin. You wear a patch for a week, change it on the same day for three weeks, then have a patch-free week when you usually get a bleed.

How well it works and how it feels

Used correctly it is over 99 percent effective. The main thing is to change it on time and check each day that it is still stuck down; it is less reliable if it comes loose. You can wear it on the bottom, tummy, upper arm or upper back, not on the breasts.

The pros and cons

The pros: nothing to remember daily, steady hormone levels, and periods that are usually regular and lighter. The cons: it is visible, the skin under it can get irritated, and the oestrogen dose is slightly higher than with the pill. Like any combined method it is not suitable with migraine with aura, smoking over 35, a history of blood clots, or certain other conditions, which the doctor checks. It does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.

How to get it with us

Start a short online assessment. A doctor reviews it for safety, and if the patch is right for you, we dispense it and deliver it to your door.

These methods work by keeping your ovaries switched off. It takes about seven days of hormones to do that, and about seven hormone-free days for them to wake up again. So the hormone-free break is the weak point: never let it run beyond seven days. A missed pill in the middle of a pack is fairly forgiving; a missed pill just before or after the break is the real pregnancy risk. Read the seven-day rule explained, or what to do if you miss a pill.