CKS is no longer commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE remains committed to providing a replacement service for CKS and is currently reviewing its options. In the meantime, although CKS content is now not being maintained, it still remains relevant and will continue to be made available. CKS content was generated under a programme of topic creation and update. To check if the topic you are viewing is current or out of date, please refer to the topic publication details by clicking on the 'How up-to-date is this topic?' link in the left hand menu on individual topic pages.
Contraception - Management
Combined contraceptive patch not changed or new cycle started late: what should be done?
- Replace the old combined contraceptive patch as soon as possible.
- If there is > 48 hours' delay in starting a new patch:
- Consider the new patch as the start of a new cycle.
- Use additional contraception for 7 days.
- Consider emergency contraception if unprotected sexual intercourse has taken place in the past 5 days — see the CKS topic on Contraception - emergency.
- If the woman forgets to take the patch off at the end of week 3 she should remove the old patch and start the next patch cycle as normal.
- No additional contraceptive cover is required provided that the delay in changing the patch (or starting a new cycle) is not more than 48 hours.
In depth
© NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement