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Updated: Oct 21, 2026

Collection, Isolation, and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Human Endocervical Samples
Published on: July 6, 2014
Sensitivity to activated protein C; influence of oral contraceptives and sex
C M Henkens1, V J Bom, A J Seinen
1University Hospital, Division of Haemostasis, Thrombosis and Rheology, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
We investigated sensitivity to activated protein C (APC) in 43 men, 42 women not using oral contraceptives (OC) and 38 women using OC containing 30.0-37.5 micrograms ethinyl estradiol. A commercially available kit was used. Men were more sensitive to APC as compared with women not using OC (p < 0.005), but this difference seems not to be of clinical importance. Women using OC showed to be significantly less sensitive to APC, reflected by a lower APC-ratio, as compared with men (p < 0.005) and women not using OC (p < 0.05). So, in normal individuals the APC-sensitivity differs according to sex and estrogen intake. This should be taken into account when interpreting APC-ratios.
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