Like all birth control pills, Loestrin uses hormones to avoid pregnancy. A combination of estrogen and progestin terminates ovulation. The hormones also change the environment inside the uterus, making it harder for a sperm to fertilize an egg in case if ovulation occurs.  Loestrin FE is a low dose birth control pill created particularly for women in their forties. The scientific name for the estrogen in Loestrin is ethinyl estradiol and the progestin is called norethindrone acetate. The estrogen dose is considered the lowest amount that will provide reliable contraception. Doctors believe that lower amounts of estrogen are much safer than higher doses.

Two Versions of Loestrin Birth Control

With regular Loestrin, you take one hormone pill a day for 21 days and placebo pills with no medicine for 7 days. During the placebo days, you will have your period. Periods on the pill are shorter and lighter than before.

With Loestrin Fe, you take one hormone pill a day for 24 days, and then iron pills for four days. Your period comes when you are taking the iron pills. In a study comparing Loestrin Fe to regular Loestrin, women had periods that were even shorter and lighter, often as lasting less than 3 days.

Loestrin 24 Fe contains a blend of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. These hormones will prevent ovulation (the release of an egg from an ovary). Loestrin 24 Fe also has other effects that assist to prevent pregnancy. They cause the cervical mucous to thicken, making it harder for sperm to reach the uterus, and they maintain the egg from attaching itself to the uterus.