Short answer: Minivelle is one patch on the lower abdomen or buttocks, replaced twice weekly (every 3 to 4 days). For hot flashes the label starts at 0.0375 mg per day and adjusts by response, with tapering or stopping tried every 3 to 6 months. For preventing osteoporosis it starts at 0.025 mg per day. A patch that falls off is reapplied or replaced, keeping the original schedule.
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Minivelle is approved for: Minivelle is a small estrogen patch approved to treat moderate to severe hot flashes (vasomotor symptoms) due to menopause and to prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis (sections 1.1, 1.2). For bone alone, the label says to first consider non-estrogen medicines, and to consider estrogen only for women at significant risk of osteoporosis.
Source
MINIVELLE (estradiol transdermal system) prescribing information, Patient Information and Instructions for Use. Noven Therapeutics. DailyMed, version published August 3, 2026. DailyMed setid 6c5c47ab-28ee-11e1-bfc2-0800200c9a66
The patch goes on a clean, dry area of the lower abdomen (below the navel) or buttocks, never on the breasts (section 2.3).
It is replaced twice weekly, every 3 to 4 days. Sites are rotated, with at least 1 week before the same site is used again (section 2.3).
The site should not be oily, damaged or irritated; the waistline is avoided because tight clothing may rub the patch off. It is pressed firmly with the palm for about 10 seconds (section 2.3).
Patches come in five strengths, 0.025 to 0.1 mg per day, in calendar packs of 8 (sections 3, 16.1).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Item | What the label says |
|---|---|
| Hot flashes: start | 0.0375 mg per day applied twice weekly |
| Hot flashes: adjustment | Based on clinical response; attempt to taper or discontinue at 3 to 6 month intervals |
| Osteoporosis prevention: start | 0.025 mg per day applied twice weekly; may be adjusted as necessary |
| Change schedule | Twice weekly (every 3-4 days) |
| Where | Lower abdomen (below the umbilicus) or buttocks; not the breasts |
| Strengths | 0.025, 0.0375, 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1 mg per day |
For a postmenopausal woman with a uterus, adding a progestogen is generally considered to reduce endometrial cancer risk. A woman without a uterus generally does not need one, though some with a history of endometriosis may.
Estrogen is used at the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent with treatment goals and risks, with periodic re-evaluation.
The patch is applied right after opening the pouch and removing the liner. Stopping treatment might increase the chance of breakthrough bleeding, spotting and return of symptoms.
Used patches still contain hormone. They are folded sticky side together, placed in a sturdy child-proof container and put in the trash, not flushed.
If a patch falls off, the same patch is reapplied or a new one is applied to another spot, continuing the original schedule. If a patch was forgotten, a new one is applied as soon as possible, then the original schedule is kept (section 2.3).
More on this: missed a dose of Minivelle.
In Dose Track you set up Minivelle as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.