Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026

An In Vivo Estrogen Deficiency Mouse Model for Screening Exogenous Estrogen Treatments of Cardiovascular Dysfunction After Menopause
Published on: August 13, 2019
Changes of hemostatic variables during hormone replacement therapy
Abel Thijs1, Coen D A Stehouwer
1Department of General Internal Medicine, VU Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. a.thijs@vumc.nl
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is accompanied by many changes in the hemostatic system. Because several individual hemostatic variables have been suspected to be reasonable indicators of the hemostatic balance and because this balance is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases, careful examination of the changes in this system induced by HRT could be helpful, first to improve HRT and second to improve our understanding of mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. The effects of (several forms of) HRT on individual hemostatic variables are discussed in this article. The pattern that emerges is that HRT stimulates coagulation, inhibits anticoagulation, and stimulates fibrinolysis (partly by inhibition of fibrinolysis). There are, however, few data that give clear insight into the effects of HRT on hemostatic variables. Controlled randomized clinical studies are needed to evaluate further the effects of HRT on the hemostatic system, to understand the interplay between inflammation and coagulation (both pathways being affected by HRT), and to understand how HRT-associated changes are affected by differences in genetic background.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is accompanied by many changes in the hemostatic system. Because several individual hemostatic variables have been suspected to be reasonable indicators of the hemostatic balance and because this balance is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases, careful examination of the changes in this system induced by HRT could be helpful, first to improve HRT and second to improve our understanding of mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. The effects of (several forms of) HRT on individual hemostatic variables are discussed in this article. The pattern that emerges is that HRT stimulates coagulation, inhibits anticoagulation, and stimulates fibrinolysis (partly by inhibition of fibrinolysis). There are, however, few data that give clear insight into the effects of HRT on hemostatic variables. Controlled randomized clinical studies are needed to evaluate further the effects of HRT on the hemostatic system, to understand the interplay between inflammation and coagulation (both pathways being affected by HRT), and to understand how HRT-associated changes are affected by differences in genetic background.
Related Concept Videos
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Introduction to Hemostasis
The three phases of hemostasis involve many clotting factors present in plasma and several substances released by platelets and injured tissue cells. It is a fast, localized, and...
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways of Hemostasis
The Extrinsic Pathway
The extrinsic pathway of coagulation is typically initiated by tissue damage that exposes blood to tissue factor (TF), a protein released by the damaged tissue cells outside the blood vessels—this interaction with TF triggers biochemical reactions involving specific clotting factors. The key player here is Factor VII, which forms a...
Disorders of Hemostasis
Thromboembolic Disorders
Two factors primarily cause thromboembolic conditions.
Hormonal Regulation of the Menstrual Cycle
At puberty, GnRH begins a pulsatile release pattern, which triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The frequency and amplitude of GnRH pulses vary across the menstrual cycle, with faster pulses favoring LH release and slower pulses favoring FSH release.
Venous Thrombosis IV: Nursing Management

