Birth Control Patch

A small estrogen- and progestogen-spiked strip of material that can be worn anywhere on the buttocks, abdomen, upper torso, front and back (excluding the breasts or upper outer arm).

HOW IT WORKS The hormones are absorbed through the skin, and each strip lasts one week, blocking ovulation.

PROTECTION If you start using the patch on the first day of your period, it will be effective immediately (otherwise it takes one week to kick in).

BABY-PROOFING ABILITIES 99 percent.

STD-PROTECTION None.

SIDE EFFECTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT Pill-like side effects: nausea, breast tenderness and spotting. More severe menstrual cramps and breast pain compared to the Pill. The patch may also irritate your skin after a while, making it itch (moving the position once a week can help). Your scratching may tear the patch (experts aren't sure if tears lessen the effectiveness of the patch).

CAN IT RUIN THE MOMENT? Only if it falls off--this happens five percent of the time (it can be reapplied).

HASSLE FACTOR Low. Stick it on and forget about it for one week.

PLEASURE BAROMETER The edges collect brown stuff--like old band-aids do--after a while, making it grungy. Also, the patch currently only comes in peach tone, so if your color is something other than peaches and cream, there is no chance it will go unnoticed.

BAD HABIT PENALTIES You shouldn't use it if you smoke, have a family history of heart disease or have high blood pressure. The patch is less effective in women who weigh more than 198lbs. Using St. John's Wort can lessen its protection.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS You wear the patch on the arm, abdomen or buttock for seven days in a row. Then you exchange it for a new patch, which you wear for another week, and so on. After three weeks (and three patches), the fourth week is patch-free. Each new patch should be applied on the same day of each week. You can bathe and swim without it falling off.

DIY? You need a prescription.

MOST COMMON SCREW-UP Using lotion and oils, which make it fall off early.

Provided by Lisa Sussman's Brazilian Waxes, Lazy Ovaries & Outrageous Orgasms: Embarrassing Questions and Sassy Answers on Women's Sexual Health. © The National Magazine Company Limited and Collins & Brown Limited, 2006. Ulysses Press.