Norlestrin Fe 1/50 Oral Contraceptives
date: label: date made
content: ca 1981
name: label: maker
content: Parke-Davis Laboratories
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: The Parke Davis Corporation of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, produced these Loestrin Fe 1/50 brand oral contraceptives around 1981. The white and green box contained five green plastic compact cases. There is an embossed image of a woman with long hair imprinted on the front of each compact. Each compact contains a gold blister pack holding a monthly prescription of 28 pills and a pamphlet with directions for use. The monthly dosage was arranged in four rows of 7, with 21 yellow hormonal pills and 7 iron pills. Some companies included a fourth week of iron supplements to keep women in the habit of taking a daily pill.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Puerto Rico: Fajardo, Fajardo
topic: label: Subject
content: Birth Control/Contraception
label: collection
content: Georgetown Pharmacy
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: Gift of Matthew E. Donahue, M.D., in memory of Francis Donahue
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2002.0136.033
label: accession number
content: 2002.0136
label: catalog number
content: 2002.0136.033
objectType: label: Object Name
content: contraceptive, oral
label: Other Terms
content: contraceptive, oral; Contraceptives
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (blister pack material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (box, leaflets material)
label: Physical Description
content: ethinyl estradiol, 50 mcg (drug (yellow tablet) active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (dialpak material)
label: Physical Description
content: norethindrone acetate, 1 mg (drug (yellow tablet) active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: ferrous fumarate, 75 mg (drug (brown tablet) active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: foil, aluminum (blister pack material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6.7 cm x 9.4 cm x 4.5 cm; 2 5/8 in x 3 11/16 in x 1 25/32 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 5/8 in x 1/4 in; 6.35 cm x 9.2075 cm x .635 cm