Which combined oral contraceptive is designed for an extended-cycle regimen?

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Multiple Choice

Which combined oral contraceptive is designed for an extended-cycle regimen?

Extended-cycle regimens aim to reduce how often you have a withdrawal bleed by extending the days you take hormones and shortening the hormone-free interval. Seasonique is designed for this purpose: it provides a long stretch of hormone-containing tablets (about 84 days) to suppress ovulation and stabilize the endometrium, with a brief, low-estrogen interval that allows only a light period about every three months. The other options follow regular monthly cycles—whether through the standard 28-day pill pattern or the 3 weeks on/1 week off patch—so they aren’t designed to produce extended-cycle bleeding. Thus, Seasonique is the one intended for an extended-cycle regimen.

Extended-cycle regimens aim to reduce how often you have a withdrawal bleed by extending the days you take hormones and shortening the hormone-free interval. Seasonique is designed for this purpose: it provides a long stretch of hormone-containing tablets (about 84 days) to suppress ovulation and stabilize the endometrium, with a brief, low-estrogen interval that allows only a light period about every three months. The other options follow regular monthly cycles—whether through the standard 28-day pill pattern or the 3 weeks on/1 week off patch—so they aren’t designed to produce extended-cycle bleeding. Thus, Seasonique is the one intended for an extended-cycle regimen.

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