A new oral contraceptive that makes a woman's period shorter and lighter is now on the market.

Loestrin 24 Fe is the first oral contraceptive approved by the Food and Drug Administration that provides 24 days of active hormonal therapy and only four days of placebo pills, compared with traditional 21-day oral contraceptives, which have seven inactive pills. In a clinical trial, women who took Loestrin 24 Fe had periods that averaged less than three days after six cycles.

Among life's little annoyances, menstrual periods rank high on the list. In a survey of 1,342 women between the ages of 18 and 49, 78 percent cited their period as one of the things they find most annoying, along with such things as gaining weight, arguing with a spouse or significant other, having a bad hair day, having a bad boss and commuting.

Women who may still get a period were asked how their period affected their lifestyle and sex lives and about their use of hormonal contraceptives. Most of the respondents felt that their period was disrupting their lives in some way and wanted it to be shorter.

"Loestrin 24 Fe is going to be a significant benefit to women looking for lifestyle advantages from their birth control pills, in addition to the contraceptive benefits," said Dr. Michelle Warren, professor of medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center.

Many women use oral contraceptives because they help regulate the menstrual cycle, are easy to use and relieve symptoms such as bloating, cramps and mood swings in addition to preventing pregnancy, the survey found. Though new advances in contraception could eliminate the menstrual cycle entirely, more than 8 in 10 women who currently use or have ever used a hormonal contraceptive agree that a monthly period is a natural way for their body to work, though they felt a shorter period would make a positive difference.

The online survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Warner Chilcott.