"Today, the science is more settled, though there hasn't been a long-term study on the continuous use of oral contraceptives yet. But based on data from the long-term use of non-extended cycle birth control pills, which are chemically the same as extended cycle contraceptives, gy-necologists have largely reached the conclusion that the practice is safe. "At this point, I can't think of any OB/GYNs that would have a problem with [extended cycle oral contraception]," says Dr. Lauren Naliboff, a fellow at the American Con-gress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A study by the Cochrane organization found that women on extended cycle pills "fared better in terms of headaches, genital irritation, tiredness, bloating, and menstrual pain" than those on pills with monthly bleeding. A peer-reviewed article by Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica acknowledged that long-term studies are lacking, but ultimately concluded that continuous use oral contraceptives showed no unique side effects beyond increased spotting, and still resulted in less "bleeding days" than non-continuous birth control pills. Philosophical and scientific debates aside, perhaps the largest barrier between women and their right to decide whether or not they want to bleed is a lack of information. Many women are una-ware that consistently skipping withdrawal bleeding is an option, let alone that extended cycle pills ex-ist, or that menstrual suppression can also be accomplished with hormonal IUDs, NuvaRing, birth control injections, and contraceptive patches."