Extended cycle combined hormonal contraceptive Extended cycle combined hormonal contraceptive 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. Extended cycle use of COCPs may also be called menstrual suppression. 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.
Menstrual cycle higher level of substance abuse is due to decreased self-control as a result of the higher metabolic demands during the luteal phase. Infrequent or irregular ovulation is called "oligoovulation". The absence of ovulation is called "anovulation". Normal menstrual flow can occur without ovulation preceding it: an anovulatory cycle. In some cycles, follicular development may start but not be completed; nevertheless, estrogens will be formed and stimulate the uterine lining. Anovulatory flow resulting from a very thick endometrium caused by prolonged, continued high estrogen levels is called "estrogen breakthrough bleeding". Anovulatory bleeding triggered by a sudden drop in estrogen levels is