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 .
The Association of the Menstrual Cycle with the Laxity of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in Adolescent Female Athletes
Objective To identify a significant change in the laxity of the anterior cruciate ligament ( ACL ) in the competitive adolescent female athlete throughout the different phases of the menstrual cycle . Design Prospect i ve , single-blinded 8-week study set during a winter sports season . Setting Suburban Ohio Division I high school . Participants 26 members of gymnastics , soccer , track , tennis , and basketball teams . All participants were screened for normal menstrual cycles ( 26–30 days , menses 4–7 days long ) . Main Outcome Measures  KT-1000 arthrometer  was used to measure laxity by performing repeated measures throughout an 8-week period . Measurements were taken before the athletes ' workouts . The athlete charted the menstrual periods on a monthly calendar . The measurements were then grouped into the three phases of the menstrual cycle ( follicular , ovulatory , and luteal ) and averaged . Results Right knee laxity measured 4.98 mm follicular phase , 5.24 mm ovulatory , and 5.09 mm luteal . Left knee laxity measured 4.51 mm follicular , 4.43 mm ovulatory , and 4.62 mm luteal . There was no statistical difference among the three phases in the left ( p = 0.9 ) and right ( p = 0.7977 ) . Additionally , left ACL laxity was significantly less in all three phases . We found no statistically significant variability in laxity among the five sports sample d ( p > 0.63 to 0.10 ) and different ages ( p = 0.404 ) Conclusions We found an insignificant change in ACL laxity from follicular to luteal phases of the menstrual cycle . This indicates that no single phase of the menstrual cycle clinical ly affects the ACL more than the next . Although the presence of sex hormones — particularly estrogen — may indeed predispose females to higher ACL injury rates , we did not find any evidence that hormonal level changes equate with significant ACL laxity changes . We conclude that the menstrual cycle does not significantly affect ACL laxity in the competitive adolescent female athlete
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 .