This is a prescription medicated patch that you wear on your skin. It releases hormones that keep you from becoming pregnant. Many women prefer the patch to birth control pills, because with the patch, you don't have to remember to take a pill every day.
How does it work? You stick the patch directly onto your skin. You can choose to wear it on the outer side of your upper arm, your upper body, your lower abdomen or your buttock. The patch releases the hormones estrogen and progestin through your skin and into your bloodstream. These hormones stop your eggs from being released. They also make it harder for sperm to swim into your uterus.
Once you place a patch, you wear it for seven days. You don't remove it at all during this time, even when you're bathing or swimming. After a week, you take it off and place a new patch on a different area of skin. You'll wear a series of patches for three weeks, and then skip the fourth week. Your doctor will talk to you about what day to start using the patch. They'll tell you what to do if you forget to change your patch on the right day, or if it accidentally peels off.
The birth control patch is very good at preventing pregnancy. But it's not 100 percent effective. It can have side effects and dangers. And it doesn't protect against sexually-transmitted diseases. So talk to your doctor about these issues when deciding if the patch is right for you.