Effect of oral contraceptives and ovarian cycle on platelet function

In past decades, numerous epidemiological and clinical studies in women taking oral contraceptives revealed the impact of sex steroids on coagulation factors and the incidence of venous thrombosis. To date, only scarce data regarding the impact of oral contraceptives on platelet function are available. The aim of this study was to further elucidate the impact of sex steroids on platelet function. We conducted an observational study in young women using different types and dosages of monophasic oral contraceptives (OCs) compared to women not taking OCs. During the follicular phase, the mean closure time (CT) in Col/Epi was 168.0 ± 64.9 s compared to 131.5 ± 28.9 s during the luteal phase (p = 0.012). In Col/Epi cartridges, no difference was detected between women taking second/third generation OCs and low-dose OCs (145.2 ± 44.3 vs. 169.4 ± 63.5, p = 0.34). In contrast, mean Col/Epi values of women using anti-androgen-containing OCs were less (110.3 ± 15.6 s) than in both other OC groups (p = 0.03 for both ...