I'm on the ortho evra?

The Birth Control Patch delivers a low-dose hormone to prevent pregnancy, much like Birth Control Pills such as Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo and Yaz, though it's via skin absorption instead of pills.

All low-dose Birth Control products can cause breakthrough bleeding. Also, since you're new to the Patch, it's possible your body needs time to adjust. For some women on Seasonique (the BCP that you take every day and only have a period 4 times a year), it takes up to ONE YEAR for their body to adjust and for their periods to only come 4 times a year.

Unfortunately, once you get breakthrough bleeding with a pill, you will tend to get it again (though not always, and not regularly).

Are you wearing the patch alone, with no cover? In the shower/swimming/during a workout? These could contribute to reducing the hormones being released if the patch isn't as firmly attached to your skin due to sweat/water.

Expand this post...

I'd recommend something called Tegadirm patches, which are designed to be placed over medicated patches (any, including Nicotine patches, Fentanyl patches, Suboxone patches, and the Birth Control Patch). These will prevent water-logging and they are surprisingly durable. You can buy them very cheap on Amazon.com if you search for "Tegadirm". I'd go for the bigger sized ones (larger than the small, 2&3/8"x2&3/4ths").

Hope this helps.

You can always try another low dose form of hormonal contraceptive, such as the Nuvaring, or a pill such as Yaz, OTC Lo, and MANY others. There are tons of low dose pills out there that might work for you better and not cause breakthrough bleeding.

However, again, this could just be your body getting used to the hormones. It takes several months for this to happen, and you said you're only about 5-6 weeks into using the patch, so you could also just wait and allow your hormones to adapt.

I'd consult your OBGYN as well if this is concerning you.