Evaluation of some haemostatic indices of selected women on hormonal contraceptives in Benin City, Nigeria

Thrombotic disorder has been associated with especially older versions of hormonal contraceptives. Even with development of modern version of the medication, the controversies concerning their thrombotic effects still remain. However, screening of women on hormonal contraceptive for the presence of any derangement in the haemostatic profile is not routinely carried out in Nigeria. This study investigated the effects of hormonal contraceptives on haemostatic profile among women. This was a cross-sectional study carried out on 200 apparently healthy female subjects on hormonal contraceptives. They comprised of 50 non- contraceptive users (control subjects) (group A), fifty (50) non-hormonal contraceptive users (group B), 50 subjects on progestin-only contraceptive (POC) (group C) and 50 women on combined oral contraceptive (COC) (group D). Exactly 4.5mL of venous blood was collected aseptically from each participant into a plain container containing 0.5mL of 3.1% tri-sodium citrate anticoagulant, followed by proper mixing. The citrated plasma obtained after centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 15 minutes and separation, was used for the determination of prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Data analysis was carried out using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 software and a p-value <0.05 was considered significant. The Mean±SD prothrombin time {PT (seconds)} was significantly higher (p<0.001) among women on combined hormonal contraceptive than progestin-only contraceptive, non-hormonal contraceptive and controls. Similarly, the activated partial thromboplastin time {APTT (seconds)} was significantly higher (p<0.05) among subjects on combined hormonal contraceptive than progestin-only and non-hormonal contraceptive users but not different when compared with controls. The use of hormonal contraceptives results in altered PT and APPTT and may be an increased risk of thrombogenic among users.