I have my period even though I have been taking the patch continuously for 6 months. What should I do?

Question

Hello, some time ago I switched from Marvelon to Evra patches, because I had a lot of bleeding even though I had been taking it continuously for several years. I was suggested this change because my pill intake was not regular. However, even on the patch (which I change on a regular basis) I have spotting 6 days a week and sometimes I even fall off during my week (PMS, cramps, heavy flow). The patch like the pill I take continuously. How can I stop my bleeding? (I take concerta and no other OTC medications) I forgot to specify this, but it must be close to 1 month that I've been bleeding non-stop .

Alexandre Chagnon · Accepted Answer

Hello Ma'am, The amount of hormones in Evra is enough to prevent bleeding in most women, but not in completely all women. Therefore, it could be that in your situation, the patch is not suitable. There are several situations that can explain this phenomenon, including if you are stressed or taking natural products. In fact, stress seems to be enough to cause the body to "eliminate" the patch hormones a little too quickly and thus trigger menstruation. We have seen many women suffer from "spotting" since the beginning of the pandemic due to this phenomenon. I recommend that you contact your pharmacist so that he or she can send a "pharmaceutical opinion" to your doctor recommending that Evra be switched to another product. I think Nuvaring might be a very good option for you, in particular. Happy day, Alexandre Chagnon, pharmacist P.S. I take it that by "continuous taking" of the patch, you apply a patch for 7 days, then immediately change it to a new one for the next 7 days, non-stop. :)