Fibrinolytic activity in the walls of foot veins in women using combined contraceptive pills.

In the present study, the fibrinolytic activity of dorsal foot veins (FAV) was histochemically determined in 46 young and middle-aged healthy women, 26 of whom were using combined contraceptive pills (CCP). Significantly reduced FAV was demonstrated in women with a history of previous thrombophlebitis or family manifestation of deep venous thrombosis irrespective of age, as well as in middle-aged women using CCP, whereas the FAV of young women was uninfluenced by CCP and smoking. The FAV of the smoking middle-aged pill users was significantly reduced as compared to that of the young smoking pill users. With reference to this significant reduction of FAV it might be concluded that the combined contraceptive pill is unsuitable for middle-aged female smokers.