Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Jul;22(7):1819-1825.
doi: 10.1016/j.jtha.2024.04.002. Epub 2024 Apr 19.

Management of abnormal uterine bleeding on anticoagulation: the patient-clinician perspective

Bethany T Samuelson Bannow  1
Affiliations
Review

Management of abnormal uterine bleeding on anticoagulation: the patient-clinician perspective

Bethany T Samuelson Bannow. J Thromb Haemost. 2024 Jul.

Abstract

Bleeding is a well-recognized side effect of anticoagulant therapy, which is used to treat venous thromboembolism (VTE) in individuals of all ages, including those of female sex, who commonly experience VTE as a complication of hormonal therapies and/or pregnancy. Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is also extremely common in reproductive-aged individuals of female sex. Despite these overlapping situations, relatively little attention has been paid to the impact of anticoagulant-associated HMB on treatment strategies and the patient experience. In this review, we summarize incidence and complications of HMB in anticoagulated individuals as well as management strategies for HMB in this population. We also address the patient experience, including the impact of HMB on quality of life and the impact of discontinuing hormonal therapies at the time of VTE diagnosis and anticoagulant initiation. We conclude by highlighting specific gaps related to the patient experience of anticoagulant-associated HMB in both the research and clinical settings.

Keywords: abnormal uterine bleeding; anticoagulants; menorrhagia; menstruation; venous thromboembolism.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interests B.T.S.B. receives research funding from the Office of Research on Women’s Health of the National Institutes for Health (Grant K12HD043488) and the Foundation for Women and Girls with Blood Disorders.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
impacts of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) on physical, social, emotional and material domains of quality of life.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
non-contraceptive benefits of combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Prevention CfDC. Data and Statistics on Venous Thromboembolism.
    1. Beckman MG, Hooper WC, Critchley SE, Ortel TL. Venous Thromboembolism: A Public Health Concern. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2010; 38: S495–S501. 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.12.017. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arnesen CAL, Veres K, Horváth-Puhó E, Hansen JB, Sørensen HT, Brækkan SK. Estimated lifetime risk of venous thromboembolism in men and women in a Danish nationwide cohort: impact of competing risk of death. Eur J Epidemiol. 2022; 37: 195–203. 10.1007/s10654-021-00813-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Excellence NIfHaC. Heavy menstrual bleeding: assessment and management. 2021. - PubMed
    1. Karlsson TS, Marions LB, Edlund MG. Heavy menstrual bleeding significantly affects quality of life. Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica. 2014; 93: 52–7. 10.1111/aogs.12292. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources