The BBC reported this week that the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products has approved a contraceptive patch that has already received Food and Drug Administration approval in the United States. Women on both sides of the Atlantic should be able to buy the patch with a prescription sometime later this year.
The patch contains the same hormones as the pill — though in lower concentration since it is absorbed directly into the blood stream — and needs to be changed once a week. The patch has been designed to withstand exposure to water such as from bathing and swimming.
Clinical research of the patch found that it has fewer side effects, a higher compliance rate than the pill (i.e. women were more likely to use the patch consistently than they were to take pills consistently) and is not affected by condition by problems such as vomiting or diarrhea which can cause the pill to be ineffective.
About the only caveat with the patch is that heavier women — those weighing in excess of 196 pounds — may not receive a high enough dose of hormones and it may not be appropriate for them.
Source:
Contraceptive patch set for Europe. The BBC, February 26, 2002.