How Much Estrogen Is In Loestrin

Other Suggested Benefits Of Oral Contraceptives

The use of oral contraceptives also provides protection against benign breast disease, ectopic pregnancy, salpingitis, dysmenorrhea and iron deficiency anemia.11 Growing evidence suggests that oral contraceptive use may protect against other conditions, including colorectal cancer, uterine fibroid tumors, toxic shock syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. However, these particular findings remain unproved.11

How The Pill Works

Birth Control Pills disrupt your bodys normal hormone production with synthetic versions of estrogen and progesterone which suppresses ovulation, tricking your body into thinking it is pregnant all month.

Is taken in a cycle of 21 24 active days of hormones, followed by 4 to 7 days of no hormones, when a withdrawal bleed occurs but this is not like a regular period.

The combined pill contains synthetic versions of both estrogen and progesterone . Some birth control hormones like Depo-Provera and mini-pills contain progestin only .

Choice Of Estrogen Regimen

• References

The perimenopausal years are often characterized by episodes of erratic estrogen production leading to unpredictable hot flushes.19 Available evidence in this age group suggests that any particular menstrual cycle is relatively independent from previous cycles. Therefore, many perimenopausal women may benefit from a constant hormonal environment to counteract erratic ovarian function and prevent pregnancy. An estrogen dosage equal to 0.625 mg of conjugated equine estrogens is effective in postmenopausal women. However, this dosage may not be an appropriate estrogen supplementation for perimenopausal women. Women who are perimenopausal occasionally ovulate, and the low dose of estrogen and progesterone commonly used postmenopausally does not reliably suppress ovulation and, thus, does not eliminate the potential of unplanned pregnancy. Secondly, oral contraceptives may contain four to 10 times the equipotent estrogen dose of commonly prescribed post-menopausal estrogen therapy regimens. Therefore, for women in the perimenopausal years who are receiving oral contraceptives, it is important to identify when menopause occurs, so that the amount of estrogens prescribed can be reduced to safer levels.

The best solution to this dilemma may prove to be the use of low-dose oral contraceptives.6; Table 1 lists equivalent doses of various estrogen preparations.

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Lo Loestrin Fe Interactions:

See Contraindications. ALT elevations with HCV regimen ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir; discontinue Lo Loestrin Fe prior to starting HCV regimen and restart 2wks after completion. May be antagonized by CYP3A4 or other enzyme inducers ; use backup contraception. May be potentiated by atorvastatin, acetaminophen, ascorbic acid, or CYP3A4 inhibitors . May be affected by protease inhibitors, NNRTIs. May antagonize lamotrigine. May affect laboratory tests . May need dose adjustment of thyroid hormones.

What May Interact With This Medicine

Do not take this medicine with the following medication:

• dasabuvir; ombitasvir; paritaprevir; ritonavir

This medicine may also interact with the following medications:

• acetaminophen
• topiramate
• warfarin

This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.

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What Side Effects May I Notice From Receiving This Medicine

Side effects that you should report to your doctor or health care professional as soon as possible:

• breast tissue changes or discharge
• changes in vaginal bleeding during your period or between your periods
• chest pain
• leg, arm or groin pain
• severe or sudden headaches
• sudden loss of coordination, especially on one side of the body
• speech problems
• symptoms of vaginal infection like itching, irritation or unusual discharge
• tenderness in the upper abdomen
• vomiting

• skin rash, acne, or brown spots on the skin
• weight gain

This list may not describe all possible side effects. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

How Does Loestrin Fe 1/20 Work

Loestrin Fe 1/20 works to prevent pregnancy in three main ways.;

Thinning the uterine lining makes implantation of a fertilized egg less likely.;

While Loestrin prevents pregnancy, it is not effective as emergency birth control and should not be taken by women who are currently pregnant. It also is not appropriate for girls who have not started menstruating.;

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Interactions With Laboratory Tests

Certain endocrine and liver function tests and blood components may be affected by oral contraceptives:

a.

Increased prothrombin and factors VII, VIII, IX, and X; decreased antithrombin 3; increased norepinephrine-induced platelet aggregability.

b.

Increased thyroid binding globulin leading to increased circulating total thyroid hormone, as measured by protein-bound iodine , T4 by column or by radioimmunoassay. Free T3 resin uptake is decreased, reflecting the elevated TBG; free T4 concentration is unaltered.

c.

Other binding proteins may be elevated in serum.

d.

Sex-binding globulins are increased and result in elevated levels of total circulating sex steroids and corticoids; however, free or biologically active levels remain unchanged.

e.

Glucose tolerance may be decreased.

g.

Serum folate levels may be depressed by oral contraceptive therapy. This may be of clinical significance if a woman becomes pregnant shortly after discontinuing oral contraceptives.

Thromboembolic Disorders And Other Vascular Problems

a. Myocardial Infarction

An increased risk of myocardial infarction has been attributed to oral contraceptive use. This risk is primarily in smokers or women with other underlying risk factors for coronary artery disease such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, morbid obesity, and diabetes. The relative risk of heart attack for current oral contraceptive users has been estimated to be two to six . The risk is very low under the age of 30.

Smoking in combination with oral contraceptive use has been shown to contribute substantially to the incidence of myocardial infarctions in women in their mid-thirties or older with smoking accounting for the majority of excess cases . Mortality rates associated with circulatory disease have been shown to increase substantially in smokers over the age of 35 and non-smokers over the age of 40 among women who use oral contraceptives.

TABLE II: CIRCULATORY DISEASE MORTALITY RATES PER 100,000 WOMAN YEARS BY AGE, SMOKING STATUS AND ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USE Adapted from P.M. Layde and V. Beral, Reference 18

TABLE II: CIRCULATORY DISEASE MORTALITY RATES PER 100,000 WOMAN YEARS BY AGE, SMOKING STATUS AND ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USE Adapted from P.M. Layde and V. Beral, Reference 18

b. Thromboembolismc. Cerebrovascular Diseased. Dose-Related Risk of Vascular Disease From Oral Contraceptivese. Persistence of Risk of Vascular Disease

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What Should I Tell My Health Care Provider Before I Take This Medicine

They need to know if you have or ever had any of these conditions:

• abnormal vaginal bleeding
• blood vessel disease or blood clots
• breast, cervical, endometrial, ovarian, liver, or uterine cancer
• diabetes
• heart disease or recent heart attack
• high blood pressure
• an unusual or allergic reaction to estrogens, progestins, other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
• pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• breast-feeding

Ovarian And Endometrial Cancer Prevention

As a result of reports that have appeared in the lay press over the past few years, ovarian cancer is a significant fear among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, even though its actual incidence is very low. Unfortunately, no proven screening test for ovarian cancer exists, and neither CA-125 screening nor periodic pelvic ultrasound examinations have been especially helpful. Recent studies have indicated that the risk of developing ovarian cancer is reduced in women who have used oral contraceptives compared with women who have never used them.8 The largest investigation to date, the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study , showed a decrease averaging 40 percent in the development of ovarian cancer in women who had taken oral contraceptives.9 A protective effect has been observed with as little as three to six months of oral contraceptive use, with further decreases in risk seen with longer periods of use. For example, use of oral contraceptives for seven years or longer confers about a 60 to 80 percent reduction in the risk of developing ovarian cancer.8

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Your Body On Birth Control Pills

Doctors rarely discuss side effects with women when they prescribe them the contraceptive pill, adding to the myth that the birth control pill is completely safe and barely impacts on your mind and body. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Unfortunately, many women first start taking the pill as teenagers and dont realize that as they get older that their health could be impacted by these hormonal imbalances over time.

What are the effects? I drilled down into the research on the pill and what it shows about health fallout is staggering.

How To Take Lo Loestrin Fe

To achieve maximum contraceptive effectiveness, Lo Loestrin Fe must be taken exactly as directed. Take one tablet by mouth at the same time every day. Tablets must be taken in the order directed on the blister pack. Tablets should not be skipped or taken at intervals exceeding 24 hours. For patient instructions for missed pills, see FDA-Approved Patient Labeling. Lo Loestrin Fe tablets may be administered without regard to meals .

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What Is Loestrin 24 Fe

Loestrin 24 Fe is a combination birth control pill containing female hormones that prevent ovulation . This medication also causes changes in your cervical mucus and uterine lining, making it harder for sperm to reach the uterus and harder for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus.

Loestrin 24 Fe is used as contraception to prevent pregnancy.

Loestrin 24 Fe may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Dosage And Administration For 21 Day Dosage Regimen

To achieve maximum contraceptive effectiveness, Loestrin 21 must be taken exactly as directed and at intervals not exceeding 24 hours.

Loestrin 21 provides the patient with a convenient tablet schedule of 3 weeks on –1 week off. Two dosage regimens are described, one of which may be more convenient or suitable than the other for an individual patient. For the initial cycle of therapy, the patient begins her tablets according to the Day 1 Start or Sunday Start regimen. With either regimen, the patient takes one tablet daily for 21 consecutive days followed by one week of no tablets.

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Do Birth Control Pills Cause Cancer

The link between birth control pills and breast cancer risk cannot be ignored. BCPs can increase breast cancer risk, particularly in women who take the pill before they have had children.

The figures are startling. Research from the Womens Lifestyle and Health Study in Sweden and Norway has shown that the risk of breast cancer in women taking the contraceptive pill rose by:

• 26% in women who had used the pill but had ceased to take it.
• 58% in women still using the pill compared with never-users.
• 144% in women aged 45 or over who were still using the Pill.

According to the National Cancer Institute, BCPs may also increase the risk of benign liver lumps which have the potential to turn into cancer.

Plus women on BCPs are also at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.;The good news? The risk lessens after 10 years of no longer taking the pill.

What about ovarian cancer and birth control pills? In this case, studies suggest that BCPs have a protective effect.

But when you consider the many other negative impacts of these tiny pills, you would do better to reduce cancer risks naturally and avoid the other dangers of birth control pills.

There are plenty of steps you can take to reduce the risk of estrogenic cancers such as breast and ovarian cancer. I discuss them here in my post about 15 Ways to Prevent and Manage Breast Cancer Naturally.

Where Should I Keep My Medicine

Keep out of the reach of children.

Store at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C . Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.

NOTE: This sheet is a summary. It may not cover all possible information. If you have questions about this medicine, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or health care provider.

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Are There Any Risks Associated With Loestrin Fe 1/20

As is the case with many types of hormonal contraceptives, Loestrin Fe 1/20 is associated with the risk of serious cardiovascular events in women who smoke while using these contraceptives. Cardiovascular events that may occur include stroke, heart attack, blood clots, and high blood pressure.

The risk of experiencing cardiovascular issues increases with the age of the woman and the number of cigarettes that are smoked. Women ages 35 and older are considered to be at especially high risk, and it is strongly advised not to smoke at all while using Loestrin Fe 1/20.;

Women with a history of blood clots or blood clotting disorders should speak to their healthcare provider about their medical history before using a hormonal contraceptive like Loestrin Fe 1/20, as hormone treatments can increase the risk of experiencing dangerous blood clots.

Women who have diabetes may have their blood sugar affected by Loestrin Fe 1/20, so they should check their blood sugar regularly and talk to their doctor about their results.

Women should be sure to give their doctor a complete medical history and a comprehensive list of all prescription medications, over the counter medications, vitamins, supplements, and herbs that they are taking in order to prevent any potential drug interactions.

Estrogen Dominance And Birth Control Pills

Natural hormone balance is the foundation of a womans emotional and physical health. During a womans natural menstrual cycle her estrogen levels rise and fall at different times of the month. The pill disrupts this cycle altogether keeping estrogen levels high all month.

Continuously elevated levels of estrogen can overload the liver, which cant perform its essential function of detoxification. As a result, these unhealthy estrogen metabolites go back into your bloodstream and get circulated in your body quickly leading to Estrogen Dominance

ED from the pill also leads to too much estradiol , also known as an aggressive estrogen, compared to estriol , which is the protective estrogen. This imbalance can be behind tender breasts, mood swings, hair loss, weight gain, fibroids, endometriosis, breast, and ovarian cysts, and even breast and ovarian cancer.

High estrogen levels can also cause a rise thyroid binding globulin, which binds up thyroid hormones making less available to do its work in your body. ED has also been linked to the development of thyroid nodules and cancer.

To learn more about estrogen dominance and what you can do to reduce it, read my other blog post on the topic.

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Which Birth Control Pill Is Right For Me

You should consider your risk of unpleasant side effects, how easy it is to access, and the price of the particular brand your doctor recommends.

When searching for the best birth control pill, you and your doctor might ask:

The birth control pill is very effective at preventing pregnancy, with only a 7% failure rate. You can compare that to the 13% failure rate of male condoms .

Besides preventing pregnancy,;the pill;offers other advantages for women because it may help with:

• Irregular periods by regulating the menstrual cycle

• Painful period cramps

Let your doctor know if you’re looking for any secondary benefits from the pill.

Next, we’ll get into our recommendations and common questions.

Is One Pill More Effective Than Another

In general, all birth control brands are found to be an incredibly effective method of pregnancy prevention.;The pill;has a very low;failure rate, meaning it is successful at preventing pregnancy. Specifically it works around 95-99% of the time, when taken at the same time every day, as your doctor directs. The American Journal of Obstetricians and;Gynecologists; states that with typical use, both the;combined pill;and mini pill;are 91% effective in preventing pregnancy.

The effectiveness drops if you skip, miss, or switch the times when you take pills. For example, if you are on;the pill;but miss more than 3 pills that month, you should use emergency contraception if you have unprotected sex.

If you know taking a pill every day is going to be a struggle, you may want to consider using a different method of;contraception. ;For some women, an;IUD, shot, arm implant,vaginal ring, or patch;could work better with their lifestyle. If you want to know more about the specifics, ask your doctor.

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Is There A Best Birth Control Pill For Weight Loss

If you’re trying to lose weight, you don’t have to worry about your birth control pills getting in the way. Many women and girls ask questions about birth control pills and weight gain or weight loss. Science has shown that birth control pills don’t cause weight changes.

You wouldn’t need to find a birth control pill that helps with weight loss. Instead, you can create a weight loss plan that works for you. The Office on Women’s Health says that most women will need to consume fewer calories and get the right amount of healthy foods to lose weight.