Interaction between hormone replacement therapy preparations and oral anticoagulant therapy

There is limited information regarding the interaction of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and oral anticoagulants. Following the acute over-anticoagulation of two women shortly after the initiation of tibolone, we have undertaken a retrospective review of anticoagulated women to determine if the dose of oral anticoagulants and quality of anticoagulant control are affected by the introduction of HRT. We demonstrate that acute over-anticoagulation consistently occurs following the commencement of tibolone and requires anticoagulant dose modification to re-establish target international normalised ratio (INR). In contrast, non-tibolone HRT preparations do not consistently alter anticoagulant control or dose requirements.