Loestrin Fe 1.5/30 Oral Contraceptive
date: label: date made
content: ca 1981
name: label: maker
content: Parke Davis
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: The popularity of “the Pill” created a new market for pharmaceutical companies. For the first time, healthy women would be taking medication for an extended period of time. Pill manufacturers developed unique packaging in order to distinguish their product from those of their competitors and build brand loyalty. Packaging design often incorporated a “memory aid” to assist women in tracking their daily pill regimen, as well as styled cases to allow pills to be discreetly carried in bags and purses. The National Museum of American History’s Division of Medicine and Science’s collection of oral contraceptives illustrates some of the changes that the packaging and marketing of the Pill underwent from its inception in 1960 to the present.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Parke-Davis and Company of Detroit, Michigan produced this Loestrin FE 1.5/30 brand oral contraceptive around 1981. To maintain the routine of taking a daily pill, many manufacturers began including a fourth week of pills that were supplements or inert. This Loestrin regimen contains 28 pills, including 7 tablets that were iron supplements (FE, elemental symbol for iron). Included is a pamphlet entitled “What you should know about ‘the pill.’” The pills came in a white plastic compact case decorated with pale yellow flowers.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Puerto Rico: Fajardo, Fajardo
label: associated place
content: United States: Louisiana, Saint Martinville
topic: label: Subject
content: Birth Control/Contraception
label: Subject
content: Women's Health
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Birth Control
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Fournet Drugstore Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1985.0475.138
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0475.138
label: accession number
content: 1985.0475
objectType: label: Object Name
content: contraceptive, oral
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: norethindrone acetate, 1.5 mg (drug (green tablet) active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: ferrous fumarate, 75 mg (drug (brown tablet) active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (compact material)
label: Physical Description
content: ethinyl estradiol, 30 mcg (drug active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: cardboard (box material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (insert material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9.5 cm x 6.7 cm x 4.5 cm; 3 3/4 in x 2 5/8 in x 1 3/4 in
label: Measurements
content: overall, box: 2 3/4 in x 3 3/4 in x 1 3/4 in; 6.985 cm x 9.525 cm x 4.445 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall, pill case: 2 1/2 in x 3 3/4 in x 1/4 in; 6.35 cm x 9.525 cm x .635 cm