EFFECT OF TRANSDERMAL ESTRADIOL ON THE HEMOSTATIC BALANCE OF MENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Objective: To determine the effect of transdermal oestrogen replacemen t therapy on the haemostatic balance of menopausal women. Design: Open , parallel group, prospective study. Setting: Three hospital-based men opause clinics. Subjects: Fifty-two postmenopausal women receiving tra nsdermal hormone replacement therapy (Estrapak 50) for 6 months. Compa rison group of 48 untreated postmenopausal women studied in parallel. Main outcome measures: Changes in platelet number, plasma concentratio ns of coagulation factors and their natural inhibitors, fibrinolytic a ctivity, and rheological parameters. Results: Estrapak 50 had no signi ficant thrombophilic effect on any of the outcome measures. Conclusion : The haemostatic balance and thus the risk of thrombosis would not ap pear to be upset by this dose of transdermal oestrogen.