LO LOESTRIN^®FE

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Lo Loestrin Fe is effective at preventing pregnancy. Your chance of getting pregnant depends on how well you follow the directions for taking your birth control pills. The better you follow the directions, the less chance you have of getting pregnant. Women with a body mass index (BMI) above 35 kg/m² were not studied in the clinical trial, so it is not known how well Lo Loestrin Fe protects against pregnancy in such women. If you are moderately obese, discuss with your healthcare provider whether Lo Loestrin Fe is appropriate for you.

Lo Loestrin Fe is a prescription birth control pill—you need to visit your healthcare provider to make sure it’s the right option for you. There’s no generic equivalent available, so be sure your pharmacy fills your Lo Loestrin Fe prescription as prescribed.

You should not take oral contraceptives if you smoke cigarettes and are over 35 years old. Smoking increases your risk of serious cardiovascular side effects (heart and blood vessel problems) from birth control pills, including death from heart attack, blood clots, or stroke. This risk increases with age and the number of cigarettes you smoke.

Birth control pills should not be taken during pregnancy.

You should not take Lo Loestrin Fe any earlier than 4 weeks after having a baby.

If you are breastfeeding, consider another birth control method until you are ready to stop breastfeeding. Birth control pills that contain estrogen, like Lo Loestrin Fe, may decrease the amount of breast milk your body makes. A small amount of the Pill’s hormones pass into breast milk.

Your healthcare provider will not give you Lo Loestrin Fe if you have ever had breast cancer, liver disease including liver tumors, blood clots in your legs, lungs, or eyes, a stroke, heart attack, certain heart valve problems or heart rhythm abnormalities that can cause blood clots to form in the heart, an inherited problem with your blood that makes it clot more than normal, high blood pressure that medicine can’t control, diabetes with kidney, eye, nerve, or blood vessel damage, or certain kinds of severe migraines with aura, numbness, weakness, or changes in vision. Birth control pills may not be a good choice for you if you have ever had jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) caused by pregnancy (also called cholestasis of pregnancy).

Your healthcare provider also will not give you Lo Loestrin Fe if you are taking Hepatitis C drugs containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, as this may increase levels of liver enzymes in the blood.

Tell your healthcare provider about all medicines and herbal products that you take. Some medicines and herbal products may make birth control less effective, including barbiturates, bosentan, carbamazepine, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, rifampin, St John’s wort, and topiramate.

Take 1 pill at the same time every day. Take the pills in the order directed on the blister pack. Do not skip pills or take at intervals exceeding 24 hours. If you miss any pills or if you vomit or have diarrhea within 3 to 4 hours after taking your pill, follow the instructions for "What should I do if I miss any pills?"

Talk to your healthcare provider about which day is best for you to start taking Lo Loestrin Fe. It is important to take your birth control pill at the same time every day and in the order directed on the blister pack.

If you are starting a hormonal birth control pill for the first time:

1. Take the first blue pill of the first pack during the first 24 hours of your period.
2. You will not need to use a back-up method of birth control because you are starting the pill at the beginning of your period. However, if you start on a day other than the first day of your period, or if you start after having a baby and you have not yet had a period, use a back-up method of birth control, such as a condom and spermicide, until you have taken a blue pill for 7 days in a row.
3. After taking the last brown pill (Day 28) of the blister pack, start taking the blue pill from a new blister pack the very next day whether or not you have your period. You should not skip any days between packs. Learn more about starting or switching to Lo Loestrin Fe.

You may stop taking Lo Loestrin Fe whenever you wish. Consider a visit with your healthcare provider for a pre-pregnancy checkup before you stop taking Lo Loestrin Fe.

Like pregnancy, birth control pills increase the risk of serious blood clots, especially in women who have other risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, or age greater than 35. It is possible to die from a problem caused by a blood clot, such as a heart attack or a stroke.

The most common side effects reported by women taking Lo Loestrin Fe in a study were nausea/vomiting, headache, spotting or bleeding between menstrual periods, painful menstruation, weight change, breast tenderness, acne, abdominal pain, anxiety, and depression.

In a clinical study, about 4% of women reported changes in weight and 2% reported anxiety or depression when taking Lo Loestrin Fe. Women with a history of depression should be carefully observed by their healthcare provider and if depression comes back to a serious degree, Lo Loestrin Fe should be discontinued.

The most common side effects reported by women taking Lo Loestrin Fe in a study were nausea/vomiting (7%), headache (7%), spotting or bleeding between menstrual periods (5%), painful menstruation (4%), weight change (4%), breast tenderness (4%), acne (3%), abdominal pain (3%), anxiety (2%), and depression (2%).

When you take Lo Loestrin Fe you may have bleeding and spotting between periods, called unscheduled bleeding. Approximately half of the women who use Lo Loestrin Fe have unscheduled bleeding or spotting in the first months of use, and about one-third of users continue to have unscheduled bleeding or spotting after one year of use. If the unscheduled bleeding or spotting is heavy, or lasts for more than a few days, you should discuss this with your healthcare provider.

It is not uncommon to miss your period. However, if you go two or more months in a row without a period, or you miss your period after a month where you did not take all your pills correctly, call your healthcare provider because you may be pregnant. Also notify your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning sickness or unusual breast tenderness. Stop taking Lo Loestrin Fe if you are pregnant.

Your birth control pills may not be as effective if you miss any blue or white pills, especially if you miss the first few or the last few blue pills in a pack.

If you MISS 1 blue pill:

• Take it as soon as you remember. Take the next pill at your regular time. This means you may take 2 pills in 1 day
• You do not need to use a backup birth control method if you have sex

If you MISS 2 blue pills in a row in WEEK 1 or WEEK 2 of your pack:

• Take 2 pills on the day you remember and 2 pills the next day
• Then take 1 pill a day until you finish the pack
• You could become pregnant if you have sex during the 7 days after you restart your pills. You MUST use a non-hormonal birth control method, such as a condom and spermicide, as a backup for those 7 days after you restart your pills

If you MISS 2 blue or white pills in a row in WEEK 3 or WEEK 4 of your pack:

• Throw out the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day
• You may not have your period this month, but this is normal. If you miss your period 2 months in a row, call your healthcare provider because you might be pregnant
• You could become pregnant if you have sex during the 7 days after you restart your pills. You MUST use a non-hormonal birth control method, such as a condom and spermicide, as a backup for those 7 days after you restart your pills

If you MISS 3 or MORE blue or white pills in a row at any time:

• Throw out the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day
• You may not have your period this month, but this is normal. If you miss your period 2 months in a row, call your healthcare provider because you might be pregnant
• You could become pregnant if you have sex on the days when you missed pills or during the first 7 days after restarting your pills. You MUST use a non-hormonal birth control method, such as a condom and spermicide, as a backup method the next time you have sex and for the first 7 days after you restart your pills

If you are not sure of what to do about the pills you have missed, you should call your healthcare provider. Use a backup method of birth control, such as a condom and spermicide, any time you have sex, and keep taking 1 pill each day until you reach your healthcare provider.

Yes, it's normal. Spotting, also called irregular bleeding or breakthrough bleeding, typically happens during the first few months of taking a new birth control pill. It may take time for your body to adjust to the new hormone levels.

If spotting still occurs after being on the pill for more than 6 months you should see your healthcare provider to make sure there isn't another underlying condition.