Evra patches - do they work and how to prevent them from peeling off
Good morning, I'm writing with a problem.
On May 26, I started using Evra contraceptive patches. However, I have a lot of uncertainty. After 5 days of applying the first patch, I had to apply a new one because it came off. I applied a new patch and changed the day of the patch change to Monday, because I already had the impression that it was "loose". According to the leaflet, I started a new cycle. This patch came off after 4 days, but I immediately applied a new one. According to the leaflet, I didn't change the day I changed the patch, and on Monday I put on a new patch starting the second week of use (compared to the new cycle), which held up perfectly. In the 3rd week of using the patch, it fell off on Thursday, but it was during a hairdresser's visit. Out of frustration and helplessness related to the fact that the patch came off again, I did not apply it after returning from the visit. I don't really know why I was so frustrated that I decided not to stick it on and I'm aware that it's my mistake. Finally, I decided to start a new cycle on Saturday, because that one was unfinished, additionally changing the place where the patch was applied from my hand to the upper part of the buttocks, because I decided that maybe the reason for its peeling off was simply the wrong place. I don't think the reason is my bad app. It was always glued to clean skin, if the patch was applied after bathing, I waited for the water to evaporate from the skin. The patch on my buttocks held up perfectly, without any reservations. Last Saturday I started the second week. On Sunday, on the other hand, my patch came off, but I think that the reason here was the temperatures outside (about 40 degrees Celsius) and my 3-hour journey in a carriage without air conditioning. Immediately after entering the apartment, I got into the shower and after getting out of the shower, checking the condition of the patch as always, I felt that it was peeling off on the side (from what I remember in the morning, everything was still fine with it). I took it off, waited 20 minutes and applied a new patch. So far, the new patch is also holding up flawlessly. I'm a little disappointed that there are no ways to check if contraception works. However, from my observations, it seems to me that despite all these passages, the protection is preserved. As you know, menstruation that occurs when using contraceptive patches is not an ordinary normal menstruation, it is bleeding from stopping the patches. I haven't had one yet, because I'm still in the cycle because of these problems with peeling off. However, I also didn't get my regular period, when I should have gotten it if it wasn't for the patches. I also noticed that when I applied the patch on Saturday, after this break of a few days, I felt a slight pain in my ovaries. I read on the Internet that my ovaries, not getting hormones, when the patch broke off on Thursday, began to wake up to work, and suddenly, when they got a new dose on Saturday, they began to "go to sleep" again. Taking into account the fact that I started the new cycle on June 20 (this patch held up flawlessly), and the next patch that is still with me I applied on June 27 (with the fact that it came off again on Sunday, but I reacted immediately and applied a new patch), am I protected or am I ready for intercourse without any other protection than, for example, a condom? What can I do wrong, what makes these patches come off?