Birth control patch

It can be complicated to tell exactly how hormonal birth control affects mood, but you’re the only one who truly knows how you feel. Everyone reacts to birth control differently, so if you feel your birth control might be contributing to depression, talk with your health care provider. It might be a matter of switching methods or deciding whether to avoid hormonal birth control altogether, or you may choose to wait it out since some negative side effects go away with time.

Your weight will not impact how effective your birth control is for almost all types of birth control. Two exceptions are the patch and emergency contraception.

For the patch, Xulane or Zafemy, may be less effective if you weigh more than 198 pounds. Twirla, the lower-dose patch option, may be less effective at preventing pregnancy if your BMI is 25 or greater, and it should not be used at all if your BMI is 30 or greater because of decreased effectiveness and a potentially increased risk of blood clots.

When it comes to emergency contraception, over-the counter levonorgestrel-based emergency contraception, like Plan B One-Step, Next Choice One Dose, and others, may not be as effective in people who weigh 165 pounds or more. Prescription EC pill, ella, may not work as well if you weigh 195 pounds or more. Some types of IUD work as EC and they are equally effective no matter how much you weigh.

If you’re just not vibing with your choice of birth control, it might be time to switch things up! Before you do, ask yourself some questions to make sure you know what’s not working and what you might want in a new method. Thinking about why you want to switch methods and what your needs are going forward will help you figure out next steps that work for you.

If you’d like to stop your birth control and try to get pregnant, you can get pregnant pretty quickly after stopping most methods.

The relationship between birth control and depression is complicated, especially since different methods can affect people very differently. If you feel your birth control might be contributing to depression, talk with your health care provider. It might be a matter of switching methods or deciding whether to avoid hormonal birth control altogether, or you may choose to wait it out since some negative side effects go away with time.

For most people, the risk of blood clots is low when they use the combination pill, the ring, and the patch. But smoking increases this risk. If you are over 35 and smoke 15 or more cigarettes a day, the combination pill, patch, and ring are not safe options for you. If you’re over 35 and you smoke less than 15 cigarettes a day, talk to your provider about whether these birth control methods are safe options for you.

If you have high blood pressure, methods with estrogen—the combination pill, the ring, and the patch—may make your blood pressure even higher, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, there are lots of highly effective birth control options that are safe and estrogen-free like the progestin-only pill, all types of IUD, the implant, and the shot. Talk to a health care provider about your blood pressure and what birth control is an option for you.

The patch can decrease blood loss during periods, and possibly reduce PMS symptoms and acne. There’s also the chance of a decreased risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer and some breast conditions.

If the patch is new to you and the side effects are bearable, you may want to give it a little more time as hormone levels will start to level off after the first few months, so those hormonal side effects tend to go away.

It’s most likely just bits of dust and dirt getting caught on the adhesive that makes the patch stay on your skin. While the patch is in place there isn’t too much you can do about it without running the risk of making the patch un-sticky (the hormones that make the patch work are in the adhesive, so you want to make sure it stays stuck!). Once you take the patch off, you can try rubbing a little bit of baby oil on the marks. They should come right off with a little scrubbing.

Depends on if you need protection from sexually transmitted infections (STIs). No method of birth control other than condoms or internal condoms protects you from STIs. Using a condom with another form of birth control is called dual protection since you’re protecting yourself against both pregnancy and STIs.

Yes – just start a new box of patches the same day without having a patch-free week. Each patch is good for one week, so you’ll keep the same patch change day when you switch to a new box.

No, the patch does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The best way to prevent STIs if you’re having sex is using a condom or internal condom. Dental dams, gloves, some vaccines (HPV and hepatitis B vaccines) and daily medications, such as PrEP for the prevention of HIV also offer STI protection. If you’re concerned about both pregnancy and STIs, doubling up with the patch and condoms is a great option.