The Patch: Birth Control You Can Stick To!

The birth control patch works as well as the pill and it's easy to use!

The birth control patch is one of newest birth control methods for women. The patch itself is about two inches wide. It's very thin, light, and looks like a square Band-Aid. You can wear it under your clothes, and depending on where you stick it, it might not show at all. You need to put it on a different part of your body every time you change it. It can go on the outside part of your upper arm, your back, your belly, or even your butt! And guess what else? You can take showers, work out at the gym, dance, or swim and the patch won't come off!

It's got hormones on the sticky part. The hormones soak into your body slowly through your skin and they keep you from getting pregnant. You can get the birth control patch at the drugstore but you need a prescription for it. A box with three patches lasts a month and costs about $34.00, but if you enroll in special program like Family PACT, it's FREE!

The patch works exactly like the pill except for one thing: You only have to think about it once a week. The patch keeps your body from releasing eggs. It also causes other changes that make it harder for the sperm to fertilize the egg.

If you decide to use the patch, you need to put on the first patch on the first day of your period. The other way to start is to put on the first patch on the first Sunday after you start your period. Don't worry - your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly what to do and when to do it. You only need to change the patch once a week, on the same day of the week for three weeks in a row. You take a break on the fourth week and don't wear one until you start a new box of patches. You'll get your period during that patch-free week.

The patch is easy to use and can keep you from getting pregnant as long as you use it right. The patch protects you from pregnancy but it does NOT protect you against HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. And get this: About half of all new HIV infections happen in people under 25. So remember that the only way to have safer sex is to use condoms every time you have sex.

Young women like the birth control patch a lot. Carla Alvarez says, "You put it on and forget it. You don't have to think about it everyday like the pill. And, you can hide it."

If you'd like to start using the patch, talk to your doctor or nurse and find out if it's right for you.

For information on Family PACT go to www.familypact.org or call 1-866-FAMPACT.