"i just turned 29 years old and i&#039;ve been on loestrin 24 fe for almost 8 months now and i am ready to go back to triphasil, which i had been on for years previously. i believe it&#039;s fairly effective at preventing pregnancy, but considering i have next to no sex drive (as my husband can attest) it may be hard to tell. also, i had maintained the same weight for years, and after being on loestrin for 5 or 6 months i somehow gained over 10lbs with no change in my eating habits. the only positive effects were it did shorten and lighten my periods significantly."