The clinical relevance of this finding is that female athletes may be more predisposed to anterior cruciate ligament injuries during the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle .
These findings may lead to potential interventions targeted toward this phase of the menstrual cycle to reduce the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury
Several theories have been proposed to explain the 3- to 6-fold gender difference in the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries .
One potential theory for the increased incidence is based on gender-related hormonal differences between men and women , especially after puberty and the onset of menses in the female athlete .
The purpose of this systematic review was to compile and systematic ally analyze the published literature to determine if the menstrual cycle is associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury risk and to provide an objective comparison of the published results .
Women's soccer injuries in relation to the menstrual cycle and oral contraceptive use.
During 1984 , 86 women soccer players answered detailed question naires concerning contraceptive use , menstruation data , premenstrual and menstrual symptoms , and data concerning soccer activities including injuries . This prospect i ve study showed that women soccer players were more susceptible to traumatic injuries during the premenstrual and menstrual period compared to the rest of the menstrual cycle ( P less than 0.05 ) , especially among players with premenstrual symptoms such as irritability/irascibility , swelling/discomfort in the breasts , and swelling/congestion in the abdomen . It was also found that women using contraceptive pills had a lower rate of traumatic injuries ( P less than 0.05 ) compared to women who were not on the Pill . The results can be explained by the fact that oral contraceptives ameliorate some symptoms of the premenstrual and menstrual period which might also affect coordination and hence the risk of injury
The clinical relevance of this finding is that female athletes may be more predisposed to anterior cruciate ligament injuries during the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle .
These findings may lead to potential interventions targeted toward this phase of the menstrual cycle to reduce the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury
Several theories have been proposed to explain the 3- to 6-fold gender difference in the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries .
One potential theory for the increased incidence is based on gender-related hormonal differences between men and women , especially after puberty and the onset of menses in the female athlete .
The purpose of this systematic review was to compile and systematic ally analyze the published literature to determine if the menstrual cycle is associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury risk and to provide an objective comparison of the published results .