hiya, i was on them for over a year and found them so much better than the pill, (i had mood swings with that) i felt the patch was easier as u stick it on at start of week and change it same day each week, you have three patches in the packet and u have a patch free week and thats when u have your period each mth, it comes with stickers, to remind you when to change ,i put them in my diary. if you are going on holiday you can start next packet without a patch free week to miss your period, but the doctor says only to do that once a year, ...u need to make sure the patch doesnt stay on for longer than a week as it becomes less effective.
the patch i used was called evra, u get 3/6 mths in one go, the nurse was abit weary of it as it was new out and i had to ask for it, as they didnt offer it (duno if its cus of expense, but you dont have to pay so shuldnt matta,lol) jus took my blood pressure and asked if i smoked and weighed me....so if evryfink ok shuld be fine to perscribe.
i put it on my back to start with, and found it irritable and itchy, so i like putting on my thigh or bum ,sawpping each week, ...they are like the nictoine patches, a square plaster, skin coloured so not visable, it tells you NOT to put it on boobs, but anywhere else is fine....i wuldnt recommend foot tho, as in summer, you could sweat or it could rub off, dont want any mistakes!lol....the only down side i found is that on holiday in swimming pool it kept coming off, so wuldnt recommend if ur a swimmer, but in the bath and shower it was fine, does get abit mucky at sides by end of week. but i didnt even feel it on me, didnt feel it was putting loadsa chemicals in me like pill,and may periods werent painfull and wer light.my friend found it brillant too. i didnt gain weight, size 8 when i started n still....maybe not now cus of my bump as im 5mths pregnant,,,thats another thing i came off it as we wanted a baby and thought it would take ages to concieve but i got pregnant in the 1st month!. hope that helps.x