Extended or continuous cycle combined oral contraceptive pills are a packaging of combined oral contraceptive pills (COCPs) that reduce or eliminate the withdrawal bleeding that would occur once every 28 days in traditionally packaged COCPs. It works by reducing the frequency of the pill-free or placebo days. Extended cycle use of COCPs may also be called menstrual suppression,  although other hormonal medications or medication delivery systems (hormonal intrauterine devices—IUDs) may also be used to suppress menses. Any brand of combined oral contraceptive pills can be used in an extended or continuous manner by simply discarding the placebo pills; this is most commonly done with monophasic pills in which all of the pills in a package contain the same fixed dosing of a synthetic estrogen and a progestin in each active pill.Other combined hormonal contraceptives (those containing both an estrogen and a progestin) may also be used in an extended or continuous cycle. For example, the NuvaRing vaginal ring and the contraceptive patch have been studied for extended cycle use, and the monthly combined injectable contraceptive may similarly eliminate bleeding. History
Before the advent of modern contraceptives, reproductive age women spent most of their time either pregnant or nursing. In modern Western society, women typically have about 450 periods during their lives, as compared to about 160 formerly.Although it was evident that the pill could be used to suppress menstruation for arbitrary lengths of time, the original regimen was designed to produce withdrawal bleeding every four weeks to mimic the menstrual cycle.
Lincoln, NE: Backinprint.com. ISBN 978-0-595-38655-0. Susan Rako (2003). No More Periods? : The Risks of Menstrual Suppression. Harmony Books. ISBN 1-4000-4503-7. External links
Lybrel official site
Seasonale and Seasonique official site
Pro-extended cycle COCP site by Leslie Miller, M.D.