The effects of quinestrol and bromocriptine on blood coagulation, serum prolactin and serum FSH levels in puerperal women.

The effects of bromocriptine and quinestrol upon coagulation and fibrinolysis during the puerperium were studied. Quinestrol therapy was associated with increased levels of factors VII and IX and decreased antithrombin activity on the sixth postpartum day, and increased factor IX and plasminogen levels on the fourteenth postpartum day. Six weeks after delivery elevated levels of factors II and VII and of plasminogen were recorded in women given quinestrol. Bromocriptine therapy only caused an increase in the level of factor IX at six weeks after delivery. Compared to controls, patients given bromocriptine had lower prolactin and higher FSH levels during the puerperium whereas the patients given quinestrol had increased prolactin levels and a late fall in FSH levels.