Evorel Conti

Evorel Conti is a patch that you stick onto your skin to help with menopause symptoms such as:

• suddenly feeling hot (hot flushes)
• night sweats
• vaginal dryness
• painful sex
• difficulty sleeping
• mood changes

Each Evorel Conti patch contains the hormones estradiol (3.2mg) and norethisterone (11.2mg). They’re released into your bloodstream through your skin, helping to balance out your hormones during menopause. Evorel Conti patches do this by providing the oestrogen your body needs, as you no longer produce it, and this helps:

• stop bone loss
• prevent vaginal dryness and itching

You use one Evorel Conti patch at a time. Each Evorel Conti patch comes in a square packet, and you need to tear the edge carefully, so you do not damage it. Then you should:

1. Take the Evorel Conti patch out of the packet in one piece
2. Find the two pieces of film protecting the sticky bit on the back of the patch
3. Remove one of the pieces of film
4. Put the sticky part of the patch onto your thigh or the side of your bottom
5. Peel off the second piece of film and smooth over the top with your hand to make sure the patch sticks
6. If it’s Monday when you put your patch on, you should change it on Thursday and then again on the following Monday, so you only change your patch twice a week
7. When you remove the patch (after 3 or 4 days), fold the sticky part in half and throw it in your bin at home
8. Place your new patch on a new area of skin by repeating steps 1 to 5

For best results, put your Evorel Conti patch on a hairless patch of skin and never put the patch anywhere above your waist.

For step 6, depending on which day of the week you start, there are 7 combinations of ‘patch change’ days you can choose from:

• Monday and Thursday
• Tuesday and Friday
• Wednesday and Saturday
• Thursday and Sunday
• Friday and Monday
• Saturday and Tuesday
• Sunday and Wednesday

You should pick one of these two day combinations and change your patch on these same days each week. To help you remember your patch change days:

• make a note on your patch with a permanent marker what day you should next change your patch
• set reminders on your phone to change your patch

What if the patch falls off?

If your Evorel Conti patch falls off or you forget to change it, you should change it as soon as possible and apply the next one at the normal time. However, if it is almost time for the next patch, you should skip the missed one and go back to your regular schedule.

You should not place your Evorel Conti patch:

• where it will be in direct sunlight
• anywhere near your breasts
• on your waistband, where your clothes might press or rub against it
• above or on any cuts or irritated skin
• where you have put on cream or moisturiser
• in the same place twice in a row, to prevent a rash

You can shower, swim and exercise as normal with your Evorel Conti patch.

Evorel Conti patches work by steadily releasing the female hormones oestrogen and progestogen into your body. You absorb the hormones from the patch through your skin, so it gets into your bloodstream.

You will slowly get 50 micrograms of estradiol and 170 micrograms of norethisterone from an Evorel Conti patch throughout the day. Each patch has enough hormones in it for 3 or 4 days, which is why you only need to replace it twice a week.

You may need Evorel Conti patches because, as you get older, your ovaries will produce less oestrogen, and your periods will stop. Replacing the oestrogen you have lost helps relieve and prevent menopause symptoms that can affect your quality of life. These symptoms include pain during sex, hot flushes and mood swings.

However, taking oestrogen on its own causes the lining of your womb to thicken, so a progestogen is added to the patch to help shed the lining and prevent it from building up.

Evorel Conti is effective a few weeks after you start using it, and it can take up to 3 months to feel the full effects.

To help you get the most out of your Evorel Conti patches, here are some lifestyle habits you may want to try:

• eating healthy foods daily, including 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, and less salty or fatty foods
• staying hydrated by drinking enough water, so your pee is a yellow straw colour throughout the day
• exercising regularly for around 30 minutes per day, like going for a walk, swimming, cycling or gentle yoga

Along with the Everol Conti patches, these lifestyle changes can help relieve your menopause symptoms.

There are some possible side effects that you may get when using the Evorel Conti patch.

Sometimes you might get a rash on the area of skin where you place the Evorel Conti patch, and it may look red or feel itchy. This normally goes away on its own, but your doctor can recommend an alternative HRT medicine if it keeps happening.

Other common side effects of Evorel Conti include:

• difficulty sleeping
• having a low mood
• headache
• breast pain
• nausea (feeling like you want to vomit)
• stomach pain
• feeling tired
• body weight changes

Uncommon side effects of the Evorel Conti patch include:

• muscle pain
• hand and feet swelling
• low sex drive
• vaginal infections, such as thrush

Speak to a doctor if you have any side effects, and they can recommend a different HRT medicine. You can also report your side effects to the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme.

Have a look at the patient information leaflet that comes inside the Evorel Conti box for a more detailed list of side effects.

You should see a doctor straight away if you get:

• migraines
• peeling or blistering skin
• yellowing of the skin (jaundice)
• seizures

If you feel your throat or face swelling, or have difficulty breathing or swallowing, you should call 999. These may be signs that you’re having an allergic reaction.

You can use Evorel Conti if you’re a woman and you:

• have not had a period for the past 12 months or have had your ovaries removed
• are going through your menopause
• want to prevent bone loss from osteoporosis

You should not use Evorel Conti patches if you have:

• unexplained vaginal bleeding
• liver disease or liver function problems
• recently had a stroke or heart attack
• angina or heart disease
• ever had a blood clot
• breast cancer

You should not use Evorel Conti patches if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.

If you are unable to use Evorel Conti patches, speak to a doctor about alternative hormone replacement therapy.

Evorel Conti patches can interact with other medicines or herbal supplements you may be taking, and this can affect how they work. So you should let your doctor know if you’re taking anything for:

• epilepsy, such as phenobarbital, phenytoin, lamotrigine or carbamazepine
• tuberculosis, such as rifampicin or rifabutin
• human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), such as ritonavir
• hepatitis C, such as telaprevir
• high blood pressure, such as bosentan
• low mood, such as St John's Wort

Taking these medications with Evorel Conti can cause both the medication and the Evorel Conti patch to be less effective.

There are alternative HRT treatments that you can use to manage your menopause symptoms.

You can choose between other patches, oral tablets, vaginal tablets, or a cream. If needed, you can use more than one type of treatment at the same time.

An alternative patch you can use is:

• Evorel Sequi (if you are perimenopausal)

Oral tablets that you take by mouth include:

• Elleste Duet
• Kliovance
• Kliofem
• Femoston Conti
• Premique
• Livial (tibolone)

Vaginal tablets you can put into your vagina include:

• Vagifem

Creams you can apply to your vagina and contain only oestrogen include:

• Estriol Cream
• Ovestin cream

You also have the option of using a combination of a patch and tablets that you can swallow, such as:

• Estradot patches and Utrogestan sequential
• Estradot patches and Utrogestan continuous

Fill out an online questionnaire with ZAVA today to find out which HRT treatment is best for you.

The difference between Evorel Conti and Evorel Sequi is that they contain different types of patches. You can use either of them for effective hormone replacement therapy, but Evorel Sequi is intended for perimenopausal women.

In a pack of Evorel Conti patches, all of the patches are the same. But in a pack of Evorel Sequi patches, there are 2 different types of patches.

The 2 types of patches in an Evorel Sequi box are:

• Evorel 50
• Evorel Conti

The Evorel 50 patches only contain the hormone oestrogen, and the Evorel Conti patches contain oestrogen plus a form of progesterone.