Objective: Postmenopausal bleeding must always be evaluated to rule out endometrial carcinoma, although there are many benign etiologies. There have been rare reports of premenopausal bleeding with interferon beta-1b, used to treat multiple sclerosis, but no prior reports in postmenopausal women.
Methods: Literature searches were performed using PubMed and Medline for articles with content related to premenopausal and postmenopausal bleeding while taking interferon beta-1b. The searches were restricted to the English language. Search terms included interferon beta-1b and/or uterine hemorrhage and/or vaginal bleeding and/or postmenopausal and/or menopause.
Results: The literature review found no related articles for postmenopausal bleeding while taking interferon beta-1b. We present a case of a patient with postmenopausal bleeding attributed to elevation of serum estradiol in association with interferon beta-1b therapy.
Conclusion: It is important for patients and providers to be aware of the association between postmenopausal bleeding with the use of interferon beta-1b therapy which could be due to elevated serum estradiol levels.
Keywords: Interferon-beta/adverse effects; Interferon-beta/therapeutic use; multiple sclerosis/drug therapy; postmenopausal bleeding.