Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42494100›Full record

ArticleSports health2026

Hormonal Contraceptive Use and Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Female Athletes: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Natasha Trentacosta, Giselle Kaneda, Natasha Schimmoeller, Dave T Huang, Jasmine Galloway, Marilee Fisher, Chloe Castaneda, Christian Blough, Thomas Kremen, Caroline Jefferies and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Sports health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Natasha TrentacostaDepartment of Orthopedics Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), Los Angeles, California.
Giselle KanedaOrthopaedic Stem Cell Research Laboratory at CSMC, Los Angeles, California, Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute at CSMC, Los Angeles, California, and Department of Biomedical Sciences, CSMC, Los Angeles, California.
Natasha SchimmoellerDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology CSMC, Los Angeles, California.
Dave T HuangDepartment of Orthopedics Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), Los Angeles, California, and Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory CSMC, Los Angeles, California.
Jasmine GallowayCedars-Sinai Kerlan Jobe Institute, Los Angeles, California.
Marilee FisherUniversity of California, Los Angeles, California.
Chloe CastanedaDepartment of Orthopedics Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), Los Angeles, California Department of Orthopedics Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), Los Angeles, California and Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory CSMC, Los Angeles, California.
Christian BloughDepartment of Orthopedics Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), Los Angeles, California.ORCID 0000-0001-9932-5494
Thomas KremenUniversity of California, Los Angeles, California.
Caroline JefferiesDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, CSMC, Los Angeles, California, Kao Autoimmunity Institute, CSMC, Los Angeles, California, and Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, CSMC, Los Angeles, California.
Dmitriy SheynDepartment of Orthopedics Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), Los Angeles, California, Orthopaedic Stem Cell Research Laboratory at CSMC, Los Angeles, California, Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute at CSMC, Los Angeles, California, Department of Biomedical Sciences, CSMC, Los Angeles, California, and Department of Surgery, CSMC, Los Angeles, California.
Melodie F MetzgerDepartment of Orthopedics Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), Los Angeles, California, and Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory CSMC, Los Angeles, California.ORCID 0000-0001-8892-7035

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFemale reproductive hormones are attributed to the higher rate of musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries among female athletes compared with male athletes. PURPOSE: To evaluate association between exposure to hormonal contraceptives (HCs), joint laxity, and number of injuries in female athletes over a 1-year period. STUDY

designCohort study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.

methodsProfessional and Division I collegiate female athletes were recruited into 2 groups based on HC status (HC vs non-HC). Serum relaxin, estrogen and progesterone levels, knee laxity, generalized hypermobility, and lower extremity kinematics during a single-legged jump were examined during preseason in the luteal phase of each athlete's menstrual cycle. Injuries were tracked for 1 year after testing.

resultsCirculating levels of progesterone (non-HC, 38.9 ± 15.0 pg/mg vs HC, 28.6 ± 11.4 pg/mg;

conclusionA potential relationship between increased circulating relaxin levels and the risk of injury was established. Athletes taking HCs demonstrated significantly reduced peak knee adduction angles when landing from a jump. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results advance knowledge of relationships between specific hormones and injury risk, and the potential role of HCs on kinematic patterns when landing from a jump. Future research will determine HC formulations that may protect against MSK injury, and inform broader strategies to reduce sport-related injury risk in female athletes.

Indexed as

ACLbirth controlfemale athletehormonal contraceptivesligamentsex hormones

Identifiers

PMID42494100
PMCPMC13400710

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.