Patch comes on the market

The Evra patch: just as effective as the Pill

The first contraceptive patch for women - hailed as the biggest revolution in family planning since the Pill - will be launched on the NHS tomorrow.

The Evra patch, which has been shown to be at least as safe and effective as the oral contraceptive, will be made available from GPs and family planning clinics.

Like the Pill, it will be available on prescription. The self-adhesive patch looks like those used by smokers who want to quit and works in a similar way.

Worn on the stomach, upper arm, back or torso, it emits very low doses of the same hormones used in the Pill through the skin.

In trials it has been shown to be 99 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy.

This makes it as reliable as the Pill - but studies suggest that the patch has the edge because women are more likely to forget to use the Pill.

Rather than having to remember to swallow a daily pill, women have to peel off and replace the patch once a week.

A patch is worn for three consecutive weeks. For the fourth week, the woman does not need to wear one, though she is still protected against pregnancy. The area of the body where the patch is placed can be changed when the new patch is applied.

The makers say the patch is slim enough to be worn discreetly under clothes, and is unaffected by heat, swimming or bathing.

It has been a massive success in the United States, where it has become the second most popular form of contraception in the 12 months since it became available.

'This exciting innovation in contraception is a real step forward and great news for women,' said Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association.

'The patch has already had a good reception in America and we expect it to prove popular here.' During trials the patch was tested on more than 3,300 women, according to its manufacturer Janssen-Cilag. Only 15 became pregnant.

They were nine per cent less likely to forget to use the patch as they were to forget to take the oral contraceptive.

Unlike the Pill, it is not affected by vomiting or diarrhoea, making pregnancy less likely,

Dr Susan Carr, a consultant in family planning in Glasgow, who had patients on a trial of the patch, said women had been very positive about the breakthrough.

' The fact that it is visible doesn't seem to have been a deterrent,' she added.

'You can put it in quite a few places, on your bottom on your abdomen, your upper arms or on your upper abdomen front or back, but not on your breasts.

'The women liked it because, like the Pill, they were in control of their fertility.

'The key point is that people are less likely to forget.'

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in