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Overview:
- Find out if the Pill or the Patch suits your body and lifestyle
- Generations of women have relied on the Pill, the most popular form of reversible contraception in the country. Click here to learn more.
- Just as effective as the Pill, the weekly birth control patch offers women another option. Click here to learn more.
A woman today has a greater variety of birth control options available to her than ever before. Making the right choice can be as important to her lifestyle as it is to her reproductive health. The Pill and the Patch, two of the most popular methods of contraception, are results of enormous strides in science. These highly effective and convenient options can make it easier for a woman to choose a method that suits her body and lifestyle.
Tried and True.
Generations of women have relied on the Pill for birth control, the most popular form of reversible contraception in the country. In fact, oral contraceptives are used by 80 percent of women in the United States at some point in their reproductive years.
The Pill, which must be prescribed by a healthcare professional, is a small tablet taken orally for either 21, 24 or 28 days, or continuously. It is over 99 percent effective when used correctly-which means taking the pills consistently, every day.
One of the most significant findings since the introduction of the first pill in 1960 is that far less hormone is needed to prevent conception than originally thought. Over the years, the company that is now known as Ortho Women's Health & Urology developed formulations with decreasing estrogen and progestin levels.
 Our pill, with an even lower level of hormones than ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN is
ORTHO TRI-CYLCLEN LO. It gives women clinically proven effectiveness and may help make periods shorter, lighter, or more predictable - all with a low level of ethinyl estradiol (an estrogen) and norgestimate (a progestin). Oral contraceptives containing norgestimate are associated with low rates of undesirable side effects such as weight gain and acne.
Other benefits of most birth control pills include less severe cramps and other menstrual symptoms, and a decreased risk of ovarian cysts or acute pelvic inflammatory disease (a serious infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes and/or ovaries).
On your body. Off your mind.
The transdermal - or "through the skin" - weekly birth control patch is just as effective as the Pill. It offers
women the simplicity of once-a-week application, not daily.
 Patch technology has been used successfully to treat pain, heart disease, and motion sickness, as well as to help people stop smoking and receive hormone replacement therapy. ORTHO EVRA is the world's first and only weekly contraceptive patch.
The Patch, which must be prescribed by a healthcare professional, prevents pregnancy by delivering continuous levels of norelgestromin and ethinyl estradiol (progestin and estrogen, respectively) through the skin and into the bloodstream.
Hormones from patches applied to the skin get into the blood stream and are removed from the body differently from hormones from birth control pills taken by mouth. You will be exposed to about 60% more estrogen if you use ORTHO EVRA than if you use a typical birth control pill containing 35 micrograms (mcg) of estrogen. In general, increased estrogen exposure may increase the risk of side effects. The risk of venous thromboembolic disease (blood clots in the legs and/or the lungs) may be increased with ORTHO EVRA compared with that of a birth control pill containing norgestimate and 35 mcg of estrogen. One study found a doubling of this risk and another study found no increased risk.
A woman can apply and remove the thin, beige patch herself, and can wear it on one of 4 areas of her body: the buttock, abdomen, upper torso (front and back, excluding the breasts), or upper outer arm. It adheres well to the skin, allowing a woman to shower, swim, exercise and perform her usual daily activities without interruption.
The Patch is 99 percent effective when used correctly, and is applied once a week for three consecutive weeks; the fourth week is "patch-free." A woman can decide with her doctor or healthcare professional whether to start wearing it on the first day of her period, or on the first Sunday after her period starts.
Talk to Your Healthcare Professional
The information presented in this section does not take the place of a discussion with your physician or other healthcare professional about the benefits and risks of these options. Because no 2 people are alike, no 1 method is right for everyone.
Review each method with your partner and ask your physician or other healthcare professional about ORTHO EVRA and ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN LO to help you decide which best meets your needs.
Important Safety Information.
ORTHO EVRA and ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN LO are hormonal contraceptives and are not for everybody. Serious as well as minor side effects have been reported with the use of hormonal contraceptives. Serious risks include blood clots, stroke and heart attacks. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects, especially in women over 35. Women who use hormonal contraceptives are strongly advised not to smoke. Hormonal contraceptives
do not protect against HIV or sexually transmitted diseases.
The pharmacokinetic (PK) profile for the ORTHO EVRA patch is different from the PK profile for oral contraceptives in that it has higher steady state concentrations (60% higher) and lower peak concentrations (25% lower) of ethinyl estradiol (EE) compared with an oral contraceptive containing 35 mcg EE. It is not known whether there are changes in the risk of serious adverse events based on the differences in PK profiles of EE in women using ORTHO EVRA compared with women using oral contraceptives containing 35 mcg EE. Increased estrogen exposure may increase the risk of adverse events, including venous thromboembolism. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Transdermal versus Oral Contraceptives, BOLDED WARNING in the Package Insert).
The risk of venous thromboembolic disease (blood clots in the legs and/or the lungs) may be increased with ORTHO EVRA compared with that of a birth control pill containing norgestimate and 35 mcg EE. One study found a doubling of this risk and another study found no increased risk.
Please click here for full Prescribing Information.
For complete information on contraindications, warnings, and adverse side effects, please click on the following brand names to view the manufacturer's US package insert.
ORTHO EVRA® (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol transdermal system)
ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN® (norgestimate/ ethinyl estradiol)
ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN® LO (norgestimate/ ethinyl estradiol)
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