What is the difference between the patch and the ring?

Weekly versus monthly: patch = one task a week; ring = one task a month.
Visible versus internal: the patch shows and can peel; the ring requires comfort with vaginal placement.
Same hormone class: both are progestin plus estrogen with the pill's clot cautions for smokers over 35.
Set swap reminders: late changes are how the 7% failure rate happens.
Add condoms for STIs: neither method covers infections.

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The patch and the ring are near-identical hormonally: both release progestin plus estrogen, both run a 3-weeks-on, 1-week-off cycle with a period in the off week, and both carry a 7% typical-use failure rate, the same as the pill. What differs is the delivery and the schedule. The patch sticks to skin on your lower abdomen, buttocks, or upper body (never the breasts) and you swap it once a week for 3 weeks. The ring is a flexible plastic ring you place inside your vagina yourself, leave for 3 weeks, remove for your period week, then replace. So the choice is weekly remembering with a visible sticker versus monthly remembering with an internal device. Practical trade-offs: the patch can loosen with sweat, swimming, or friction, shows on skin, and some people get skin irritation; the ring cannot be seen, but you have to be comfortable placing and removing it, and some users or partners notice it during sex (it can be removed for up to a few hours without losing protection, per its labeling). Both are prescription-only, both share the pill's estrogen-related cautions like clot risk in smokers over 35, and neither protects against STIs. Pick the patch if you want visible confirmation and weekly rhythm; pick the ring if you want the fewest tasks per month.

What is the difference between the patch and the ring?

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