By using the birth control patch, you are introducing the hormones into your body at a slow and constant rate, as opposed to the pill which operates a bit like a roller coaster ride. For this reason, the birth control patch is slightly less notorious for the side effects that the pill is known for. This isn’t to say that the birth control patch doesn’t have side effects; indeed it suffers from the same drawbacks as the pill, but the side effects are for many people more mild and less noticeable. Most birth control patches available only have to be replaced once a week. Having to put on a patch once a week instead of taking a pill everyday is the main reason women turn to the patch.