Loestrin^® 24 Fe is a highly effective birth control pill with the lowest level of estrogen (20 mcg per pill) allowed by the FDA. When taken properly, Loestrin^® 24 Fe is over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. Like all birth control pills, Loestrin^® 24 Fe prevents pregnancy by providing hormones (estrogen and progestin) that suppress ovulation (the maturing and release of an egg) and other related changes your body goes through in preparation for a pregnancy.

With Loestrin^® 24 Fe, your period starts later and bleeding is lighter,¹ lasting less than 3 days on average.^* The Loestrin^® 24 Fe pill includes 3 extra days of "active" white pills, for a total of 24, giving you 3 more days of hormones, so your period starts later and is shorter, and bleeding is lighter. The remaining 4 brown "reminder" pills are iron supplements that are included to get you into the routine of taking a Loestrin^® 24 Fe pill every day.

Birth control pills prevent the production of a mature egg, so there is less build-up of material for menstrual discharge than when an egg matures and is released. With Loestrin^® 24 Fe, the 3 additional days of hormones results in even less build-up of this material than with 21-day birth control pills. In other words, there is less monthly build-up, so there is less menstrual flow. This results in a short period lasting, on average, less than 3 days, with less bleeding, too.

Most birth control pills contain two hormones: an estrogen and a progestin. Loestrin^® 24 Fe contains the estrogen, ethinyl estradiol and the progestin, norethindrone acetate. Birth control pills that contain less than 50 mcg of estrogen are considered "low-dose." Studies have found that lower dose birth control pills have proven safer than higher dose birth control pills with fewer, less severe side effects. Loestrin^® 24 Fe uses the lowest dose of estrogen (20 mcg per pill) currently approved by the FDA for effective birth control.