I have tried my fair share of contraception and, like most of my friends, my journey to finding the one that works for me was neither quick nor easy. But the contraception I’ve been on since university, the method I swear by, is definitely one of the lesser-known options out there - only 0.3% of women reported using it as their choice of contraception, according to the Women's Reproductive Health Survey 2021. Many women have never even heard of it, and if they have, most don’t know anyone actually on it.
My journey to finding this contraception started with the Rigevidon combined contraceptive pill. I can’t specifically remember how old I was when I first began taking it, but what I do remember is, around Year 9, the daily, synchronised alarms of my friends' iPhone 4Cs during breaks or lunchtime. "Ah, got to take my pill," they'd say nonchalantly, rolling their eyes in a way that oozed adulthood.
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Soon enough, I found myself taking the pill too, spouting off reasons like the ability to skip periods during a holiday or because it made my periods shorter and lighter, but really I was just on it because everyone else was. Fast-forward five years, and my consistent forgetfulness in taking the pill - leading to frequent spotting - combined with the fact that I was still a virgin, qualified me to sack it off once and for all. Weaning off a drug I'd been on for half a decade had its challenges, but eventually, I felt great, and my body adapted quickly. Only for me to enter my first relationship mere months later. Classic.
The effects of going back on the pill were dramatic. My body totally rejected it. My skin flared up in ways it hadn't since puberty. I gained weight without changing my diet. My periods were totally unpredictable in both timing and flow. But the biggest issues I faced were mental. I had unmanageable mood swings, moving from energetic to lethargic, excitable to depressed, relaxed to anxious in matters of hours. It was unbearable, and my first relationship soon came to a close as I struggled to regulate my emotions.
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I came off the pill as quickly as I'd resumed it and was determined to find another form of contraception that suited me. I took full advantage of the free on-campus doctors to explore my options. I was offered another pill, which I firmly refused. My doctor then suggested the contraceptive injection, known as Depo-Provera, as a way to mitigate my inconsistency with daily pills. I agreed, and she gave me my first shot then and there. I would return every three months for the next year, sitting in the waiting room with clammy, anxious hands at the thought of an injection that actually never really hurt too bad.
In some ways, the injection worked; it was low effort, and my mental health stabilised. However, I noticed similar hormonal effects on my body. In the end, it was a year of relentless greasy skin and hormonal spots that did it for me, and I decided not to book in for my 15-month shot when I returned to my third year after the summer.
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The only other options I was aware of were the coil and the implant. We've all heard the horror stories of the coil—the pain of implantation and that one friend of a friend of a friend whose coil was ripped out by her tampon. Plus, both my sister and my best friend had the implant put in, only to have it removed as quickly as possible, so neither sounded like a viable option.
A few months into my third year, I was watching Love Island Season 6 when bombshell Rebecca Gormley entered the villa with a little square plaster peaking through her bikini bottoms on her thigh. I was watching with my friend, Chiara, and we got straight onto Google to find out what it was. We were both pretty shocked to find out it was a kind of contraception that we had never heard of: the patch.
We discovered that this small square patch contains the same hormones as the combined pill - oestrogen and progesterone - but releases them gradually through the skin via osmosis (luckily, one of the few GCSE biology terms we still remembered). You can pop the patch anywhere on your body, just not near your breasts, and then forget about it for seven days until you pop a new one on. Every three weeks, you take a break, just like with the pill, so you still have a period. There were familiar reports that it would make your period lighter and give you control over how often you bleed.
“The contraceptive patch is a small, beige, adhesive patch that continuously releases a combination of oestrogen and progestogen into the bloodstream through the skin,” Dr Frances Yarlett, NHS GP and Medical Director at The Lowdown explains. "These hormones work together to prevent the release of an egg each month, thicken cervical mucus to stop sperm from reaching the egg, and thin the womb lining to prevent implantation of a fertilised egg. This makes it 99% effective at preventing pregnancy if used perfectly.
"It’s worn for a week at a time, and after using 3 patches in a row, you can choose to take a 4 to 7 day break where you will have a bleed, or continue to use the patch ‘back to back’ to prevent bleeding."
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It's fair to say we were both more than curious. Chiara had been on a similar journey with contraception, struggling to find something low-effort with minimal side effects. Raging mood swings and uncontrollable changes to our bodies were not something we were going to be taking into our final year of uni.
Pretty quickly, we both got onto our uni doctors and the next time we saw each other for the Easter break, we both had a patch on. That was five years ago, and I still have one on right now. Chiara was on it for about two years, telling me she “found it really convenient,” and that “it really did work [for her] for a while,” but ended up switching over to the copper coil as “ultimately, I just wanted to move to a hormone-free method.”
And though we'd taken the steps to educate ourselves on the form of contraception and sought the expert advice of our GPs, the patch still remains a relatively niche option in the UK. “Many women are still unaware it exists,” Dr Yarlett explains. "In the most recent NHS statistics, around 2% of people obtaining contraception from Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services chose the patch.
“However,” she adds. "This figure does not include data from GP surgeries, which provide the majority of contraceptive prescriptions. As a result, the actual usage rate across the whole population may be even less.”
Five years in, and I'm in a full-blown love affair with the patch. Because the hormones diffuse over such a long period, their effect on my body, mentally and physically, is undetectable.
My periods are much lighter and last for a shorter amount of time, usually around 4 days. Reapplying it once a week is pretty seamless. I'm notoriously quite forgetful, and I can honestly say that I have only forgotten to apply it on the correct day a handful of times in the last five years. If that happens, you just apply a new patch as soon as you remember and use additional contraception, like condoms, for the next seven days.
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Like with all medication, there are, of course, some flaws. The patch does not do very well in water, so it can be a bit of a nuisance on holiday, wanting to peel off after an hour or so in the pool. However, if it does manage to float away from me, I just take it off and reapply another once I'm dry.
The only other issue I've found is that skipping a period is nearly impossible for me. Due to the slow release of hormones, paired with the fact I've been taking it consistently in a 3-weeks-on, 1-week-off routine for five years, my body does not respond quickly enough and bleeds through the additional patch, despite me using it back-to-back for a full month. I've only tried to do this once in the time I've been on it, but I know for a lot of women and girls (including 15-year-old me), being able to skip a period is one of the biggest USPs of being on contraception in the first place, so it’s important to bear in mind.
According to Dr Yarlett, other side effects can vary. “Some women experience skin irritation at the application site, breast tenderness, nausea, or headaches,” she tells GLAMOUR UK. "Because the patch delivers a higher dose of oestrogen than standard brands of pill, there may be a slightly increased risk of blood clots compared to the most common pill brands (Rigevidon, Microgynon).
"It is also currently only available in a beige colour, and advocacy groups like the Reproductive Justice Initiative are working to make the patch more inclusive via the Clap Back on the Contraceptive Patch campaign.”
Though she adds that there are some big upsides to this form of contraception, similar to the ones I've experienced. “The biggest advantage of the patch is that it’s incredibly convenient and perfect for women who struggle to remember a daily pill,” she says. “It’s discreet, effective, and often helps regulate periods, reducing heavy bleeding and cramps. It can also improve acne and premenstrual symptoms.”
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I asked her who the patch is most suitable, and who should avoid it?
“Women over 35 who smoke, or those with a history of blood clots, migraines with aura, or high blood pressure should avoid any form of combined hormonal contraception, including the patch," she explains. "It may also be less effective in women over 90kg, so it’s important to discuss this with your healthcare professional. There are other medical conditions that may mean the patch isn't suitable for you to safely use, so always discuss these and be honest with your healthcare professional.”
Overall, I couldn't praise the patch more as a non-invasive and low-effort option for women seeking a middle ground between the daily commitment of the pill and the permanence of a coil or implant that can't be self-removed. It's been the perfect solution for me, but if my contraception journey has taught me anything, it's how personal this choice is for each woman. What works for one may not work for another, so it's essential to do your research and consult with a doctor. The world often makes us feel like lab rats in our quest for the right method, but the more information you have about the available options, the quicker you can regain balance and control over your body.
If you are interested in starting the contraception patch or want to discuss contraception and your wider options, you should always consult your GP. You can also find information and resources at contraceptionchoices.org.
